Days of Mourning
by hokkyokukou
Summary: Tsuna's death has caused grief among his guardians, and each of them has a different reaction - especially since one of them is the killer.
1. Tsuna's Death

_BAMBAMBAMBAMBAM!_

* * *

"Tsuna! Tsuna, are you alright?"

Yamamoto's heart leapt up into his mouth, beating frantically like the wings of a bird. He couldn't believe it was true – no, he _refused_ to believe it was true. He landed heavily on his knees beside the body of his beloved friend, whispering, "Tsuna, get up, _please_ – "

Blood seeped from five bullet holes in Tsuna's body, soaking through his suit and pooling on the ground.

"Tenth!" The voice was distant, wavering.

"Gokudera!" Yamamto shouted. "Gokudera, over here!"

It was impossible to see through the thick fog that swirled menacingly around Yamamoto. He shivered. If he stared hard enough, he could swear that he saw a hooded figure made of mist stooping over Tsuna's body, reaching out with a bony hand to caress his face. He shook his head – now was not the time for hallucinations.

"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?" Gokudera shrieked.

Yamamoto lit his ring with his flame and jammed it into a box. A swallow swathed in blue flames shot out and darted through the fog to find and lead Gokudera.

* * *

"That damn sword freak," Gokudera snarled murderously. "That fucking swallow nearly knocked the brains out of my head."

He stumbled after the burning swallow through the fog, his worry and anxiety increasing with every step. In Yamamoto's voice, he had heard something he'd never heard before: fear and despair. That was problematic by itself, but the gunshots he had heard earlier were eating at his nerves.

He cursed as he tripped and fell over something in his path. The person beneath him coughed weakly.

"Gokudera-san…"

"Chrome?" Gokudera choked. The mist guardian was covered in blood all over, although thankfully most of it did not seem to be her own.

"Can you stand? That sword freak sent his box weapon to me. I'm heading over to him right now."

"Boss… he – " But whatever would have followed after this was cut off when Chrome started coughing up blood.

"Don't talk," Gokudera said. He slung her arm over his shoulders and turned to the hovering swallow. "Lead the way.

* * *

The mist annoyed Hibari to no end. Each swirl formed something that would remind him of the male mist guardian – whether it be his smirk, his hairstyle, or his trident. He pushed his annoyance aside – it would never do to get angry over something like this – and walked calmly on. Through a brief opening in the fog, he saw dim shadows in the distance. He slowed his pace. He was the Cloud Guardian, and he had all the time in the world to arrive at his destination.

* * *

"Oh? I wonder what's going on. Something tells me that it's nothing good…"

Mukuro fanned a hand fruitlessly in the mist, wondering just what to do until a raucous yell ripped through the air.

"HEEY! IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, CLAP YOUR HANDS EXTREMELY LOUD!"

Mukuro put on a bemused expression as he raised his hands and clapped them three times, amplifying their sound until they sounded like thunder.

"YEEOW!" Rhyohei roared, barreling through the mist. "THAT WAS EXTREME!"

He suddenly spotted Mukuro, who did not have a very pleased expression on his face.

"Let's go," Mukuro said with slight urgency in his voice. "I think Sawada Tsunayoshi may be in trouble."

* * *

As Hibari approached the figures, they became more and more defined. Someone was kneeling down beside a motionless body. Sobbing noises reached Hibari's ears and a third figure flew into the air and landed with a thud against the body on the ground.

He quickened his pace, his heart beating marginally faster, watching the scene unfold through steely, emotionless eyes.

* * *

"Gotta... stay... calm..."

Lambo's teeth started to chatter violently, and he wrapped his arms around himself to keep from shivering too much. His eyes darted from side to side frantically, as if searching for a way out in the endless fog. The mist formed skeletons wearing withered garlands that rattled their bones noiselessly at him. It was too much for him, a twelve year old boy, to handle.

With the next step he took, something squished beneath his foot. He brought himself to look down and see what it was and immediately wished he hadn't. He stared down into the eyes of a dead man, growing more and more horrified by the second.

He burst into a run, screaming and wailing, tears streaming from his eyes. He had no idea where he was going, but surely it would be a better place than beside the dead stranger whose eyes stared blankly from his head. Surely, it would be a place where he could cry and hug Tsuna, where Tsuna would smile and laugh and say, _It's alright, Lambo,_where Tsuna would be there for him, as always.

He slipped and fell face first into something hard and wet. He raised himself up and stared down, horrified, at a bloody suit that looked horribly familiar.

"Tsuna…?"

Someone was crying beside him. He wiped away his tears and shook his head. "Y-Yamamoto, what happened? Why… why isn't Tsuna getting up?"

"I couldn't save him," Yamamoto said brokenly. "He's saved me countless numbers of times, yet I – I couldn't – "

Lambo's eyes widened and whipped back to the body on the ground. Tsuna's face was eerily calm, only a little pale and bloody.

"I'm sorry, Lambo."

Lambo couldn't swallow his own spit. His horror was rising with every breath, choking him, mocking him, destroying him.

* * *

The mist was an insane labyrinth, even to Mukuro. It was becoming more and more frustrating with every step. Around him, the mist swirled and danced to a silent tune almost jeeringly. Dancers wearing masks of death leaped in front of him, behind him, beside him. Wasted horses galloped past him bearing riders cloaked in cloths riddled with holes. It was all too real, yet he knew that these figures were made only of mist and imagination.

He stopped abruptly. Ryohei, who had been following Mukuro the whole time, did not see and slammed into him. He flew head over heels, dragging the disgruntled mist guardian along with him, until he came to a stop in front of a small group of people huddled around a motionless body.

* * *

Hibari stared down at the body of the tenth boss of the Vongola before sighing quietly and turning his gaze up to the sky. His hands tingled eerily, but he pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind. He tuned out the cries of the other guardians and focused only on the view above him. The mist vaguely formed two hands that parted the mist like a curtain and revealed a bleak, reddish sky for an instant before hiding it away again.

* * *

They had been walking for far too long. The mist was unrelenting and mocking, forming figures that resembled Tsuna that were blown away by an imaginary wind. The swallow's blue flames were flickering weakly now, barely visible through the dense fog. Gokudera was on his wit's end.

"Fuck! How much longer do we have to walk?"

"Gokudera-san," Chrome said weakly. "I can walk by myself. It'll be faster this way."

"No way," Gokudera protested as she took her arm off his shoulders. "You're injured."

She shook her head and looked up at him. Her eye was filling with tears. "It's fine. We're here."

He whipped his head around and saw shadows in the distance. He was tempted to run and leave Chrome behind, but his duty as the Tenth's right-hand man prevented him from obeying his desires. He grabbed her arm and nearly dragged her along with him, his footsteps shouting out _Don't go, don't go!_

In shock, he let her arm fall back to her side. He staggered forward, past Hibari, past Ryohei, Mukuro, Lambo, and Yamamoto. He had eyes only for the person that lay on the ground as if sleeping.

"What… is this?"

He stumbled forward and onto his knees, raising shaking hands towards the face of his beloved boss. _Only sleeping, only sleeping,_ his mind screamed.

"Tenth…?"

* * *

_Thanks for reading! I rewrote this thing to make the later parts make more sense -_-" I always have a hard time rewriting things; my thoughts don't flow as well when I know what to write._

_Did that make sense? No._

_Anyways, thanks for all your support! Each and every one of you is way too kind ^_^_


	2. Yamamoto's Regrets

He stood facing the window. He forgot how long he had been staring blankly out at the misty scene. He only knew that he now had every detail of the view from the window ingrained into his mind. To the left was the pond with three stepping stones and two swans, to the right were the pine trees whose tops were shrouded with mist. Below were fifty flat stones that formed a narrow path into the pine forest, and around these stones grew thirteen pear trees. And in the forest was the small garden that belonged to Tsu – no, he didn't want to think about that man just yet.

"Yamamoto."

In one of the pine trees, there was a bird that was ruffling its feathers in an attempt to warm itself. A squirrel sat on the branch below it, nibbling away at a pine cone it had picked up from the ground. A spider crawled across the window as another weaved its web in a corner. He almost grinned as he imagined the squeal the younger Tsun – no, he didn't want to remember that just yet.

"Yamamoto."

It was all like a dream. It was a dream he never wanted to leave. He didn't want to face reality; he didn't want to think about the fact that his best, most trusted friend was now dea – no, he didn't want to think about that just yet.

A hand settled down on his shoulder, drawing his attention away from the window's view. He wasn't startled; no, nothing could take him by surprise now.

"It's a letter. For you. From the Tenth."

Gokudera's voice was rather hollow and toneless, Yamamoto thought in the back of his mind. Like a robot, he took the letter from Gokudera and watched him walk away. He stared down the hallway long after Gokudera had disappeared before realizing he was holding something in his hand. _To Yamamoto Takeshi_, it said. He felt like crying when he saw the words; the handwriting was a painful reminder of the person who had left his life. He tore the envelope open as he walked to his room and upon arriving, he scanned the contents.

_To Yamamoto,_

_I'm sorry._

_Hopefully, we'll get to make it up later, right? Don't worry about it. It's not your fault, but mine. Keep watch over the girls and everyone else for me._

_Tsuna_

Make it up later? How?

How can you restore a broken friendship with a dead man?

* * *

He sat, arms wrapped around his knees, in a field of blue flowers that bobbed and nodded their heads as rain slashed down upon them. _Yes, he's gone,_ the blue flowers nodded. And then, mockingly, they shook their heads, _no, he's not coming back._

It was the worst Yamamoto had ever felt. He could have apologized; he _should_ have apologized; if he had known Tsuna was going to die the next day, he wouldn't have lost his temper. If he had known Tsuna was going to die, he would have thrown his own life away to save him. Tsuna, the kindest person he knew; Tsuna, his best friend; Tsuna, the one who would never come back again.

"Tsuna," Yamamoto whispered, turning his eyes up to the sky. He stared unblinkingly up at the bleak, grey sky, ignoring the rain that pounded against his eyes.

A small funeral had been held, but they decided not to bury Tsuna. Gokudera had strongly protested against sealing the coffin in the ground, saying that the Tsuna from the past might accidentally be hit by the ten year bazooka. Strangely, Hibari agreed, threatening anyone who didn't with gleaming tonfas. That had settled the decision.

Yamamoto picked a blue flower as he got up slowly, heavily, as if he wanted nothing more than to stay in that field of blue flowers forever. He ambled across the field slowly, making his way to the forest. As he walked among the trees, hot tears burned in his eyes, hot tears like the ones he had shed that day his father had died.

He found himself in front of Tsuna's coffin. The Vongola crest shone on the lid, a reminder of what had been and what was lost. He tossed his flowers onto the coffin's lid, letting his mind wander away.

* * *

_Yamamoto lay on his bed, eyes hot and dry, but lifeless._

_His dad was dead._

_It was just a few days ago, when it happened. It had been simple. Enemies attacked his old man in his sushi shop while Yamamoto was away. Shot him a few times. Came out of the shop. Left. Simple as that._

_And simple were Yamamoto's feelings too._

I couldn't protect him. It's my fault he's dead. If I was there...

_The door creaked open. Someone had been knocking for the past few minutes, but Yamamoto didn't care enough to notice._

_"Yamamoto?" asked a timid voice._

_Yamamoto's red eyes bored into the person at the doorway then looked away again._

_"Yo, Tsuna."_

_"Are..." Tsuna hesitated. __"Are you alright?"_

_"Yeah. I'm fine," Yamamoto replied, slightly sarcastic._

Would it be different?

_Tsuna sighed. "Yamamoto, you haven't eaten for days. Are you trying to starve yourself to death?"_

_"Oi, baseball-idiot, don't worry the Tenth! Stop acting retarded!" Gokudera yelled from downstairs, overhearing the conversation. A few pots and pans clanged about as Gokudera continued to tidy up the kitchen. The faint smell of soup wafted up to Yamamoto's room._

_"Wouldn't you?"_

* * *

"Tsuna... why..." Yamamoto whispered. The tears returned, mingling with the rain. He slumped down next to the coffin, leaning against it and looking at the grey sky. "Pathetic, huh?" he laughed bitterly. "You protected me, helped me, supported me all these years, yet I still-" Yamamoto clenched his fists. "I _still,_" he bit his lip to calm himself down. "I still couldn't do _anything._"

The rain pounded down harder.

Yamamoto hated himself, hated himself for not being able to protect his best friend, hated himself for not protecting his old man, hated _everything_ about himself at that moment. He wished he had managed to successfully throw himself off that roof that day back in Nanimori Middle School... maybe if he had... Tsuna wouldn't be dead.

_It was all his fault._

_He couldn't save anyone._

Tsuna, his best friend who had saved Yamamoto's life countless times was gone. Yamamoto's dad, the man who had led him through the dark moments of his life, was gone.

He couldn't save anyone.

Pathetic.

That's what he was.

_Pathetic._

He was a loser. A weak, good-for-nothing loser, who was good at nothing but baseball and being able to swing around a thin, metal stick better than most people. No good at academics. No good at being a caring, concerned friend.

No good at anything.

Not one thing other than being those two stupid, stupid things that got him into this mess. That's just what made him Yamamoto Takeshi. And not someone who was good at everything. Like Gokudera.

The rain roared in his ears. He clenched his fists tightly.

What was he thinking?

He couldn't think these sorts of things, when there was a war going around him, when he knew the others felt the same way, if not worse. He couldn't be so selfish, so self-centered. It was unlike him.

And the exact opposite of Tsuna.

Tsuna, who was willing to die to protect all of them. Who _did _die. And if Yamamoto died, yes, Tsuna would be sad, would think that he could have done something, would have felt bad, but would he do this?

No.

Or maybe...

Yes.

_"Eh?" Tsuna said, surprised._

_"Wouldn't you act like me?"_

_"W-what do you mean?"_

_"You know what I mean. If I had died, and you could've done something to stop it, but you didn't, you couldn't, wouldn't you _want to die?_" Yamamoto asked. __"If your dad had died while you were out, and you came home and found him dead-" Yamamoto spat, "-dead on the floor with bullets in his head, and you knew that if you had stayed with him, like you should've, he'd be alive - wouldn't you act like me?"_

_"Yamamoto that's not-"_

_"That's not _what_?" Yamamoto snarled. "That's not true? That's not how it would be for you? You wouldn't feel bad?"_

_"Yamamoto, calm down, this isn't like you," Tsuna begged. "And that's not what-"_

_"You don't understand."_

_"Yamamoto, I do under-"_

_"Go away."_

_Tsuna looked at him with sad eyes. He sighed, stood up, and left, closing the door gently behind him._

_Those were the last words Yamamoto said to Tsuna._

"Hell, on top of that, Tsuna," Yamamoto breathed out, "I was so _stupid."_

His dad's death was was just a few days before Tsuna's.

"I'm sorry, Tsuna," Yamamoto said to the coffin. "I never should have said any of those things. I'm really, really sorry." He clenched his teeth. What was talking to a coffin going to do? What was apologizing _now_ going to do? Tsuna was dead... it was too late to say anything. Tears were falling from his eyes again as the rain pattered down on his shoulders. The wind blew furiously, the only sound accompanying the slash of the rain.

_What am I supposed to say?_

"I'm sorry, too."

Yamamoto jumped and whipped out his sword. "W-Who's there?"

The wind blew through the drenched leaves and the rain pounded in his ears. Yamamoto slipped his sword back into its sheath. "I imagined it, didn't I..." With one last look at the coffin, he stepped around it and began walking back to the headquarters.

"Because there's no other way I could have heard Tsuna's voice."

But, whether it had been his imagination or not, those three words had loosened the tight knot in Yamamoto's heart just enough.

The rain lightened up.


	3. Mukuro's Game, Chrome's Wish

_Sorry this took so long, but I was STUCK._

_Anyways, here it is!_

* * *

"Sawada Tsunayoshi," Mukuro called out, poking his head into Tsuna's room. "I've got news I think you would be pleased to he-"

Oh wait.

That's right.

Tsuna wasn't there anymore.

Life was rather unlively without Mukuro's favorite fish around.

Mukuro chuckled to himself. "I think it may be time to make a little visit..."

Taking one last look at the deserted room, he walked out. The bed had a cold, unfriendly look to it; as it was, it hadn't been slept in for several months. A thin sheet of dust layered the desk; during his depression, Gokudera had been neglecting the care he would have otherwise taken to wipe everything clean. Otherwise, everything was in the same order as it had been before Tsuna's death. The drawers sat neatly in their places, with no signs of the intense search they had undergone for the letters Tsuna had left for everyone.

Ah, yes... The letter.

_To Mukuro, my pineapple friend,_

_You'll probably figure out what happened. You always do. Hehe, you'll always will, if I know you._

_I know I can't control you. In a way, you're like the clouds. The mist comes and goes as it pleases - like you._

_Anyways, do what you think is right. I know you're not a bad person. you just have strange ways of expressing things, you know? But, you'll find a way in any circumstance, so, I'll trust you, again and always.  
_

_See you on the other side of the cycle._

_- Tsunayoshi_

_P.S. Too bad Mukuro. You lose. Maybe you can play again - one day._

_P.P.S. Remember what we talked about before? My wish... I think it would be good for Chrome._

* * *

"Chrome, are you ready?" Mukuro called, straightening his leather jacket.

"Yes, Mukuro-sama," Chrome said, entering Mukuro's room. She held two indigo flowers in her hand.

"Let's go then."

As they passed through the long hallways, the eerie silence pounded in their ears. Usually, there was an angry Gokudera hanging around, yelling furiously at Lambo, and also a Tsunayoshi trying to calm Gokudera down and to cheer Lambo up. Or, Yamamoto would be laughing with Tsuna or pissing Gokudera off inadvertently. Ryohei would occasionally stop Tsuna in his tracks to roar boisterously and to show off his new moves. Even Mukuro, from time to time, would lurk around the shadows, pondering the world and planning out his dictatorship over the world.

But now there was nothing.

Mukuro felt a strange twang in his chest. He frowned and held his hand to his heart. What was this strange, alien feeling?

He shook his head and didn't worry about it.

As he and Chrome walked through the door, they saw Gokudera walking across the dead-ish lawn, coming towards them.

"Chrome Dokuro," Gokudera said in the toneless voice he had been using for the past few days. "A letter for you. From the..." Gokudera shoved the envelope into Chrome's hands and hurried away.

"Oya? What is it, my dear Chrome?"

Chrome shrugged and tore the envelope open. She hastily opened the letter:

_Dear Chrome,_

_I'm sorry. That's all I can really say. But, if all goes well, we all might be happy?_

_Try your best! Be careful, and make sure Lambo doesn't get into trouble; I-Pin too._

_Good luck!_

_- Tsuna_

"Stupid boss..." Chrome whispered, crumpling the letter up and shoving it into her coat. "How can any of us be happy when you're dead?"

* * *

"Kufufufu... Sawada Tsunayoshi-kun, it looks like things have finally come to an end, na?" Mukuro chuckled sadly. "Although what did you mean... I lost? I'll have another chance?"

Mukuro sat down beside Chrome, both of their backs leaning against the cold, wet wood of the coffin. He closed his eyes and let his mind drift away to the time back when Tsuna had bribed Mukuro's way out of the Vendicare.

* * *

_"Please?"_

_The Vendice shook its head, slowly, so slowly. Tsuna ran his hand through his hair and glanced at Mukuro who was chained in the tank._

_"500,000 yen," Tsuna bargained._

_The Vendice raised its chin, as if scorning the offer._

_"Juudaime... I think that's a bit too little," Gokudera whispered into Tsuna's ear. "Although I would pay less than 1 yen for that bastard."_

_Tsuna chuckled._

Kufufufu... Sawada Tsunayoshi, you really came?

Pfft, _Tsuna answered in his head, _Of course I did. Are we not going to continue our little game?

Game...?

Shut up. _Tsuna frowned. "How about... a million?"_

_The Vendice shook its head, its bandages whirling loosely around its head._

_"Juudaime... Maybe we can just leave him here to rot and die?" Gokudera whispered fiercely and energetically._

_"Like hell we can. Mukuro's part of the gang too, Gokudera-kun," Tsuna hissed back. Tsuna took out his check and a pen. "I think 1,200,000 is a sufficient amount, no?" Tsuna said, slowly placing the checkbook on the table._

_The Vendice made no sound, but brought a scythe from thin air and slammed it down, millimeters away from Tsuna's hand. It shook its head angrily._

Kufufu... Are you sure you want to do this? _Mukuro mused._

Uh... do you WANT to stay here for the rest of your life, Mukuro? _Tsuna grinned maliciously,\ and started to put away his checkbook. He looked as if he were thoroughly enjoying tormenting Mukuro. _

KUHAHAHA, no, no, Tsunayoshi-kun, please, do continue, _Mukuro hastily said. _Damn brat, when did you get so bold?

_Tsuna laughed. "Vendice... How about I add another zero to this and add 7 to the 2 and we call it a deal?"_

_Had the Vendice been able to, Tsuna was sure that it would be licking its lips. It held up five fingers._

_"Five? Five billion, do you mean?"_

_The Vendice nodded eagerly._

_"Juudaime, I don't trust it. Heck, you can't even SEE it," Gokudera hissed._

_Tsuna grinned sheepishly, but said, "It's not your money, Gokudera-kun."_

Oya...?

_"Fine, deal. Done. Release Mukuro before I sign it," Tsuna ordered._

* * *

"Sawada Tsunayoshi... That game..." Mukuro murmured.

"Mukuro-sama..."

* * *

_"Hah, I guess we still play then, Tsunayoshi-kun," Mukuro laughed weakly._

_Tsuna smiled and sat down by Mukuro's bed. He patted his arm and said, "That game? The one to win my body? Don't think you'll win, Mukuro..."_

_"Kufufu... I won't lose... world domination..." Mukuro said sleepily, forcing his eyes to stay open_

_"Hehe... We'll see..." Tsuna got up. He smiled warmly and said, "Now then, sleep..."_

* * *

_"_Kufufufu... I see now, Tsunayoshi-kun..." Mukuro laughed.

Chrome looked at Mukuro.

"Chrome, let's go now. I'm sleepy and hungry," Mukuro stretched and got up.

"Of course, Mukuro-sama..." Chrome got up as well, taking one last glance at the coffin, which now had a blue flower and two indigo flowers on its lid.

_Sawada Tsunayoshi... another chance at this game? Another chance to win your body? Oya, oya... how intriging... _Mukuro thought as he walked back to the Vongola mansion, arm in arm with Chrome, who was wallowing in her own thoughts.

_Another chance, hm? Another game... _Mukuro laughed aloud as everything clicked into place. Chrome looked up at Mukuro who smiled at her.

_I see now, oh yes, I see. I have to get you back, don't I? In order to win. Don't worry, Tsunayoshi-kun...** I won't lose.**_

Not this time.

* * *

Chrome sighed and opened the door to her balcony. She stepped onto it and the wind ruffled through her air.

The Boss was gone.

The person who had accepted her even when his friends distrusted her. The one who cared about her, more than anyone else did... except for Mukuro. But Mukuro didn't count. Mukuro... was always there...

"Boss..." Chrome whispered into the silent night air. She looked up at the starry sky and saw a shooting star.

A shooting star... One time, a long time ago, when she had a babysitter, her babysitter had told her a story about shooting stars and stars themselves.

_"Maki! Maki!" __Nagi giggled, tugging on her babysitter's sleeve._ "Look! It's a shooting star!"

_"Yes, Nagi, a shooting star," Maki said. Her hands stroked the grass on the hill they were on as her eyes studied the stars with a sad gleam in her eyes. "They say many things about shooting stars..."_

_Nagi looked up and Maki with large eyes. "Like what?"_

_Maki ignored this part and said, "I think... stars are made from the souls of people special to someone..."_

_"Wah... really?" Nagi said. But, relentlessly, she pursued her question. "But what do they say about shooting stars?"  
_

_Hesitating, Maki said, "some of them say that when there's a shooting star, someone has died... __Some say it's the birth of a child and that a soul is being brought down from the heavens to give life to that baby... And others__ say it's a bad omen as well..."_

_"What does Maki think?" Nagi asked suddenly._

_"Me?" Maki asked, startled. Nagi nodded. Maki looked out into the distance and shrugged. "I believe two things... a wish being granted... and..."_

_"And...?" Nagi asked._

_"A wish being granted..." Maki murmured, "And a happiness of the stars..."  
_

* * *

Chrome sighed, shaking herself out of her memories. A granted wish? Only children would believe in things such as that. Yet, she couldn't help it. The magic of those tiny lights were too alluring, too... too magical. It was almost like an illusion; confusing, intoxicating, enigmatic...

_Stars, are you listening? _She shook her head with a wry smile. _I'm being silly._

But the stars twinkled at her, almost as if they were letting her know that they were indeed listening to her thoughts; that they were waiting for her wish.

_...Will you listen?_ she found herself asking again. _Because I have a wish..._

She swore she could hear the stars muttering among themselves, but she shook her head and frowned, knowing that it could only be the wind rustling past the bare branches.

_I'll tell you what it is... but only if you don't laugh..._

The stars whispered to each other in that beautiful language of theirs; that music too beautiful to be music; those rustles almost too faint to be heard. Chrome strained her ears, belief blossoming deep in her chest - she didn't care if it was childish anymore; as long as there was a chance her wish could be granted, she didn't care.

_I wish..._

The stars seemed to freeze in the very sky itself, like they were waiting with bated breath for Chrome to hesitantly spill her hopes and wishes. Slowly, heart pounding in her throat, Chrome whispered out her one wish with a small voice.

"I wish... to talk to boss one more time."

She could swear that she heard the stars as they muttered to each other.

**Is she done?**

**Is that all?**

**Is that all she wants?**

**How unusual.**

**I'm here...** one star whispered faintly.

**Look, he's here.**

**Can she hear him?**

**Maybe. Or not.**

**Chrome...  
**

_Boss... will you talk to me one last time? _Chrome pleaded to the stars. _It's so... lonely... Are you up there? _Chrome smiled sadly. What was she doing, acting like a kid, wishing upon a shooting star?

_... I... I just wanted to thank you... for everything... for taking care of me... and trusting me..._

Chrome shook her head angrily, blinking back tears and swallowing down the lump in her throat.

**Can... can I talk to her? **

Her ears perked up; she must be imagining it.

**What...?**

**Just... just a few words... just a few...**

The stars buzzed, creating a noise like one would make if they ran their hand over a keyboard.

**.. Very well... only a few...** decided the oldest star.

Deciding that this was all a childish prank her mind was playing on her, Chrome turned around a swept open the doors to the balcony. The wind blew past her in a strong gust, whipping her hair around her face, slapping her skirt against her legs, and carrying down from the sky a small, faint voice that made her stop in her tracks.

**Don't worry, Chrome...**

"Eh?" Chrome whipped around. "Boss...?"

**Thank you, too.**

Disbelievingly, Chrome glanced around, searching for the source of the voice. Unable to find it, she shook her head. "I... I'm going to sleep..."

**Yes, sleep, **the stars crooned. Music sounded faintly in the distance; a soft serenade that bid her goodbye. **Sleep...**

**Sleep well, Chrome...**

As Chrome closed the doors to the balcony, Mukuro stepped out from the shadows, eyes gleaming strangely in the darkness. He turned his bemused gaze to the sky, considering it for a brief moment before turning away again.

"Are you happy now, Sawada Tsunayoshi?"

A star shot across the sky.

* * *

_Edited August 8, 2011._

_I thought it was kinda childish, badly written, and poo. Oh well... Reviews please? Suggestions for the next person to write about? Constructive criticism?_

_Thanks for reading! Thanks to all reviewers, alerters, and favoriters! Maybe next time will be faster? :D_

_Thanks to 7sodeno shirayuki7 and grenouille-85 for ideas, even if I didn't use them!_


	4. Ryohei's Extremeness

"EXTREME, SAWADA, EXTREME!" Ryohei roared. He punched the air. "TODAY, I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU MY NEW, IMPROVED, EXTREMELY EXTREME STRAIGHT!" His fists whooshed through the air in front of him, creating gusts of wind which whistled through the drooping leaves of the surrounding trees. Several leaves broke off at the stem and fluttered down to the ground. The woods were so silent, Ryohei could hear them land.

Ryohei sighed.

"You know, Sawada," he said, plopping down next to the silent, unresponsive coffin, twirling a bright yellow carnation between his bandaged fingers, "You know... It's just not the same..." He dropped the bright flower and shook his fists in the air. "I CAN'T SHOW MY EXTREME MOVES TO NO ONE, TO THE EXTREME!"

The woods were silent. There was no answer.

Ryohei sighed again, then frowned and sighed harder and louder, and sighed once more, even more loudly, then finally said, "EVEN MY SIGHS AREN'T AS EXTREME AS THEY USED TO BE! THAT'S AN EXTREME FAILURE!"

After a moment's silence, Ryohei reached into his pocket and pulled out a letter, many times read and a bit worn at the edges, despite it being fairly new. Ryohei had read it so many times, he practically had it memorized word for word.

_To onii-san-_

_Be extreme to the max, as always, just not extremely sad. Protect Kyoko to the extreme and Lambo-kun and Haru to the extreme. Heh, I'm no good at these 'extreme' things, am I, to the extreme?_

_Nah, but it's extremely fun. I can see why you extremely like it._

_Anyways, be the sun! Cheer the rest of them up, especially Lambo-kun. I have a feeling that he'll need it, to the extreme. But, just try and be your usual extreme self, alright?_

_Ja ne, to the extreme!_

_(I think I've used 'extreme' extremely too much in this letter, to the extreme.)_

_-Tsuna_

_P.S. Perhaps one day, cameras like the ones in Harry Potter will be made.  
_

"Nah, Sawada... you can never use 'extreme' too much... At least, I don't think you can." Ryohei got up and left the yellow flower alongside with the blue flower and the two indigo ones.

* * *

"EXTREME! OCTOPUS HEAD, STOP DROWNING YOURSELF IN THE SHOWER TO THE EXTREME!" Ryohei roared, banging on the foggy shower glass. After waiting for almost an hour for Gokudera to come out, he had finally gotten impatient.

"Shut the fuck up and go the hell away," came a muffled voice. A finger slid itself over the mist, spelling out, "FUCK YOU," backwards.

"HEY! THAT'S EXTREMELY RUDE!" Ryohei yelled. There was no answer except for a gagging noise behind the glass. "HEY, OCTOPUS HEAD, ARE YOU ALRIGHT, TO THE EXTREME!"

"Shut the hell up. Can't you even let me _die_ in peace?" snarled Gokudera. He wrote "FUCK YOU, GO AWAY," backwards on the glass, five times.

"BUT SAWADA WOULDN'T WANT YOU TO DIE LIKE THIS!"

The shower turned off, but this time Ryohei heard the tap being turned on into what seemed like a half-filled tub. He heard a splash and nothing else but the tap water running into the water in the tub.

"OI!" Ryohei cried, yanking open the shower door. There was Gokudera, sitting in the tub with his sodden clothes clinging to his unhealthy-looking skin, with his head dunked into the water, air bubbles trailing out of his mouth. His face was hidden by his floating hair. Ryohei took Gokudera by the back of his shirt and lifted him out of the tub. He grabbed a few towels and started trying to dry Gokudera off. Gokudera protested weakly, trying to push Ryohei away as well as trying to enter the tub again. As a result, the towels got extremely soaked while Gokudera seemed to stay as wet as ever.

"Leave me alone, Turf-head," Gokudera said. "Or kill me. Either one. Either way, I'll still _die._"

"Hey, Octopus head!" Ryohei said, all the while bringing in more towels and a new shirt and pants for Gokudera to change into. Gokudera sat stubbornly with his arms around his knees as Ryohei attempted to remove his wet shirt. "Why do you want to die so suddenly?"

"..." Ryohei had succeeded in undressing Gokudera's top half and redressing him. He left the pants to Gokudera. Gokudera grudgingly changed. "It's all my fault..."

Ryohei whipped around angrily, for once showing what he truly felt inside. He scowled darkly. "What do you mean it's your fault? If it is, then it's my fault too! Do you think you're the only one who wants to kill yourself after what's happened?" He grabbed a fistful of Gokudera's shirt. "It's not all about you, Gokudera!"

Gokudera stared at Ryohei with a hollow, dead look in his eyes. Ryohei couldn't take anymore and swung his fist into Gokudera's pale face.

"The fuck-" Gokudera stumbled back, wrenching himself out of Ryohei's grasp. An angry red colored his face. He held his hands to his burning cheek.

"There. Now at least you're angry instead of sad," Ryohei said tonelessly. He crossed his arms over his chest and walked out of the bathroom. Gokudera stood alone in the bathroom, wondering what the hell had come over Ryohei.

* * *

"Yo, Yamamoto!" Ryohei greeted Yamamoto with false cheeriness. Yamamoto grinned in return. Both men noticed the forced smiles. Yamamoto had recovered slightly after visiting Tsuna's coffin, however, so it wasn't as painful as before.

"What's Gokudera up to?" Yamamoto asked. He walked into the kitchen with Ryohei and poured himself a cup of water.

"Trying to drown himself in the bathtub. It's no problem, I got him out," Ryohei added hastily as Yamamoto paled.

"Ahaha... you almost gave me a heart attack there!" Yamamoto smiled a real smile. he brought the cup to his lips and gulped.

"You should go check up on him anyways. He might smother himself with the towels I left there... or maybe hang himself, to the extreme." Ryohei said thoughtfully. Yamamoto choked on the water he was drinking. He nodded his head and sped up the stairs, coughing out, "Gokudera!"

Ryohei smiled wryly.

* * *

Fake happiness. Fake extremes. Fake smiles. Fake punches.

Everything was fake.

Nothing was real.

Ryohei smiled at Mukuro who smirked mysteriously as if saying, 'I know something you don't, but it's better if you don't know~' Ryohei kept the ugly smile plastered on his face as Chrome passed by him as well. His face muscles were starting to hurt.

He entered his room and shut the door behind him. Staring dully out at the sky where the clouds shrouded the sun, he bundled himself up in his blankets, throwing the sheet over his head and creating a depressing picture. He curled up tightly, wrapping blanketed arms around blanketed knees and then, in his bout of depression, he began banging his head harshly against his knees over and over, welcoming the pain.

"Sawada... I'm... sorry... it's... my... fault..." The sharpness of his knees was cushioned by the blankets. Frowning, he removed them and continued punishing himself. "If... I... had... been there..."

The clouds darkened. Ryohei stopped as a loud knock was heard on the door.

"Oh, Hibari!" Ryohei cleared his throat and looked around innocently. Hibari stood at the opened door, looking formidable.

"..."

"Uh... what's up?"

"..."

"..."

"What is that red mark on your forehead, Sasagawa Ryohei."

"OH! UH THIS? THIS IS A ... a... uh..." Ryohei trailed off; his mind had left him.

"... Stop bashing yourself on the head," Hibari said a bit awkwardly. He turned and added, "that's my job." He closed the door. "Besides, I can't sleep with that noise..."

"... but you can't even hear it to the extreme..." Ryohei mumbled to himself. He sighed. He was glad Kyoko wasn't in Japan right now, to see him as he was. He wondered what he was going to tell her about Tsuna... A random play of different scenarios played through his head.

_"Kyoko! Sawada died in a sumo wrestling tournament!"_

_"Kyoko! Sawada's on a trip that will last forever!"_

_"Kyoko! Sawada's at the bottom of the ocean, looking for fish!"  
_

_"Kyoko! Sawada's dead!"_

Whatever it was, it was definitely not going to be the last one. Definitely.

"GRAAARD!" Ryohei roared. He burst through the door, dashed past a surprised, humming Mukuro, down the stairs, out the front door and shoved on his shoes and flopped all the way to Tsuna's coffin.

"SAWADA! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO DIE?" Ryohei bellowed. A small group of birds flapped their way through the trees, startled by Ryohei's outburst. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF FAKE SMILES! OF FAKED HAPPINESS! OF FAKE 'TO THE EXTREME!'"

Ryohei dropped to the ground and started punching the ground.

"Sasagawa... san?" came a timid voice. Ryohei looked up to see I-Pin, holding a peony in her hands.

"Ooh, uh, er... um... I-Pin!" Ryohei stammered. He scratched the back of his head. He looked around bashfully. "Um.. uh..." He scratched his cheek. "Uhhh..."

I-Pin smiled. "I often find that using a special ingredient too often in ramen makes it less special than it would be if I used it rarely, you know? Ah, my flower! It's getting wilted!" I-pin brought out a pair of scissors and snipped the bottom off of it and stuck it in a small vase, along with the other flowers. "Well, I'll see you back at the house, okay?" I-Pin smiled and walked back towards the mansion.

"Too much...?" Ryohei frowned.

_"Nah, Sawada... you can never use 'extreme' too much... At least, I don't think you can."_

"SAWADA!" Ryohei roared. If Tsuna was alive, he'd have winced. "I'VE REALIZED THAT YOU _CAN_ SAY 'EXTREME' TOO MUCH!" He leaped up, getting into a boxing stance. "I'VE SUDDENLY DECIDED THAT I'LL ONLY USE EXTREME WHEN I THINK IT'S EXTREME! AND ONLY SMILE WHEN I FEEL LIKE SMILING! AND SO ON, **TO THE EXTREEEEEME!"**

"I... I'm glad Onii-san..."

"WOAH! THAT'S EXTREME!" Ryohei exclaimed, extremely startled. "MY BRAIN IS PLAYING EXTREME TRICKS ON ME!" He ran off into the direction of the mansion. "I MUST THANK I-PIN TO THE MAX! EXTREME!" Ryohei forgot his misery in the light of this new decision.

The sun came out from behind the clouds.

It was back.

* * *

_The P.S. in Tsuna's letter was in reference to my story Appareil-Photo in which Tsuna starts up a photo album and tries to get pictures of everyone._

_Don't own KHR or Harry Potter, obviously :P_


	5. Lambo's Birthday

It is Lambo's birthday.

Lambo is very excited.

Lambo gets up early.

He wants to surprise everyone.

He runs downstairs.

Everyone is already there.

Lambo is very surprised.

He is also very happy.

Everyone is smiling.

Even Gokudera.

Well, not everyone.

Hibari is scowling.

Everyone gives him a present.

He eats cake.

And more cake.

And more.

Lambo throws up on Gokudera.

Gokudera yells and starts lighting up dynamite.

WHY THE HELL ARE YOU EATING CAKE NOW? he screams.

Lambo cries and hides behind Yamamoto while Tsuna tries to calm Gokudera down.

Lambo is scared, but Gokudera apologizes after Tsuna begs him to stop.

Afterward, Lambo opens his presents.

He has thirteen.

One from each guardian, and from Reborn and Dino and Bianchi and Haru and Kyoko and Maman and Fuuta.

One, two, three, four, five, six, he says.

You can count all the way up to thirteen now, right Lambo? Tsuna smiles.

Gokudera grunts and stares at Lambo.

He is the one who taught Lambo how to count all the way up to the big number thirteen.

Lambo gulps and concentrates.

One, he says, pointing to each present.

Two, three, four.

Five, six.

Seven, eight, nine.

Nine is how old Lambo is today.

Wow, Lambo! Yamamoto laughs.

You made it all the way to nine!

Way to go!

Lambo is very proud.

Gokudera is smiling.

So is Tsuna.

Fuuta plays the kazoo.

Ryohei whoops and yells, EXTREME!

Lambo's ears hurt.

Nine, ten, eleven, twelve...

Lambo stops.

He ran out of presents to count.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve...

Oh, whoops, Tsuna says.

Here is my present.

Sorry.

Lambo grins and counts again.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve...

Thirteen.

Lambo is happy.

Yamamoto showers Lambo with candy, and Reborn whaps him nine times with his fedora.

Lambo cries.

You'll get more presents at dinner, Tsuna promises.

Lambo eats candy and smiles.

Lambo thinks this is the best day ever.

Lambo is happy.

* * *

Today is Lambo's birthday.

He is now eleven.

Lambo sighs.

"Wow," he says, looking out his window. It's sunny and the birds are singing. "I'm old. Too old. It's scary."

Lambo smiles and hops out of bed.

"It's my birthday!" he yells. He runs down the stairs.

Everyone is up earlier than him again. He isn't so surprised this time.

"Aw," he says, disappointed. "I thought I might've gotten up earlier than you guys this time."

"Nah," Yamamoto yawns. "We'll always get up earlier than you."

"But it's five in the morning!" Lambo exclaims.

"Too bad," Gokudera snarls. His hair sticks out in every direction. He throws a red box at Lambo and scores a hit on his face.

One.

Hibari yawns and tightens his yukata. He tosses a box wrapped in purple paper at Lambo.

Two.

Tsuna smiles and yawns too. He hands an orange box to Lambo.

Three.

Haru and Kyoko are both in their bath robes. They look really tired. But, they still smile and give Lambo their presents. One is silver and the other one is gold.

Four, five.

Ryohei yells, "SLEEPY TO THE EXTREME!" and punches the air. He hands Lambo a present wrapped with yellow paper with red boxing gloves all over it. Lambo thinks he knows what might be inside.

Six.

Bianchi hands him something in a box, which is wrapped with shiny brown paper. Purple fumes are coming out of the cracks and Gokudera chokes. Lambo smiles nervously and puts it aside.

Seven.

Reborn whaps him around the head eleven times. He hands Lambo a yellow, round box. Lambo cries.

Eight.

Yamamoto yawns and grins sleepily at Lambo. He carefully places his present in Lambo's hands, remembering what happened last time when he tried tossing it.

Nine.

Nana gives Lambo a present, kissing him on the forehead.

Ten.

Fuuta beams and says he'll make a ranking of him later.

Eleven.

Dino is not here this time. But Tsuna hands him a box wrapped with dinosaur wrapping paper that came in the mail.

Twelve.

Mukuro is in the Vendicare. He sent his present with Chrome.

Thirteen. Fourteen.

Lambo chooses to wait until dinner to eat cake. He knows he'll get more presents, too. And this time, he can count all of them.

* * *

Tomorrow, he'll be thirteen.

Tick tock.

One minute before midnight.

One minute before he'd be thirteen.

Lambo turns around in his bed and flips over his pillow. His pillow is wet.

Lambo wishes he were eleven again.

Tick tock.

Thirty seconds.

He flips his pillow around again.

_Happy birthday Lambo!_

_Don't cry too much! Keep Kyoko and Haru safe! I-Pin, too. Drink lots of milk and grow up tall! I'm sorry I couldn't be there with all of you... but please, enjoy yourself, okay?_

_Lots of love,_

_Tsuna  
_

Ding!

It's midnight.

His light is on.

The house is silent.

There is no sun.

There are no birds.

Tick tock.

He's been thirteen for a minute now.

He's curled up on his bed, with a pillow over his head. He won't stop crying and he can't.

Tick tock.

An hour now.

One o'clock.

Lambo turns around again. His blankets have fallen to the floor, because he has tossed and turned all night. He gets up and moves towards the light switch and flips it off.

It's dark now.

Tick tock.

His first two hours of his thirteenth year have been spent crying.

Lambo manages to cry himself to sleep.

Tick tock.

The next four hours of his thirteenth year have been spent sleeping.

Lambo wakes up. He turns over and stares at the clock for a while, not wanting to do anything else.

It's six o'clock.

He sighs and looks out the window.

There is no sun.

There are no birds.

There's a lot of smog, though.

Lambo guesses it's time to wake up.

Lambo sits up in his bed and shakes himself. He gets up, dresses, and heads out the door.

The house is silent.

Lambo walks down the stairs and into the kitchen of the Vongola mansion. He opens the pantry door and takes a bag of chips.

His first meal of his teenager years is a bag of chips.

_Happy birthday to me, _he thinks gloomily, stuffing chips into his mouth. He shuffles over to the refridgerator and takes out a bottle of milk. He drinks straight from it. He opens a bag of bread and makes himself a tomato, cheese, and lettuce sandwich. He is about to bite into it, when he decides to put bacon into it.

He is frying the bacon when someone else shuffles into the kitchen.

"Oh, Lambo?" the person says, rubbing his eyes. "You up already?"

"Yes," Lambo replies, flicking his messy hair. "Do you want some bacon?"

"O-Okay," Yamamoto yawns. "Will you fry me an egg, too?"

"Sure," Lambo says, shrugging. He adds more bacon into the frying pan and cracks an egg. His sandwich is waiting.

Gokudera comes into the kitchen. His eyes are red. He grabs a cup, pours himself some water from the faucet, and heads back to the stairs.

"Do you want anything, Gokudera?" Lambo asks, his eyes fixed on the sizzling bacon.

"...No." Gokudera continues to shuffle out of the kitchen.

"Oh, come on, Gokudera," Yamamoto laughs, "Take some toast or something."

Gokudera says nothing and leaves.

Yamamoto sighs.

Lambo flips the bacon and puts Yamamoto's egg on a plate. He also takes his sandwich and puts some bacon into it and then hands the whole thing to Yamamoto at the dining table.

"Thanks, Lambo! You're the best," Yamamoto laughs.

Lambo smiles and turns away.

Mukuro and Chrome come down, too. Other than Hibari who couldn't really be counted, these were the only people in the house currently.

"Kufufufu, what's this? Is the birthday boy making breakfast when he should be the one being served, hmm?" Mukuro chuckles.

Yamamoto gasps and chokes on his egg. Chrome pats him on the back and hands him a cup of milk.

Lambo says nothing. He's trying hard not to cry.

"Oh, Lambo, I'm so sorry!" Yamamoto apologizes as soon as the piece of egg stuck in his windpipe is gone. "I forgot! I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay," Lambo mutters.

"Kufufu... my apologies... I forgot, too," muses Mukuro.

"I'm sorry, Lambo," says Chrome.

"It's okay," Lambo says. His voice breaks. "I think it's a good enough present that most of us are here."

Yamamoto stares at him sadly. Lambo's eyes burn and he heats up the frying pan again. He starts frying a few more pieces of bacon for Mukuro and Chrome, but Chrome walks over and takes the spatula from him. She smiles and taps Lambo on the head thirteen times with it.

"Since Reborn isn't here to do it," she says.

Lambo starts to cry.

Something starts whistling 'happy birthday' a bit out of tune. Lambo looks around and sees Hibird. Hibari stands in the doorway and says, "Hmph," before walking away.

Mukuro drags Lambo to the table to sit with Yamamoto and Chrome finishes the bacon. Yamamoto disappears upstairs and comes back down, holding a bag. He's also dragging Gokudera with him, who's punching himself in the face for forgetting about the family member's birthday. Gokudera pours Lambo a cup of milk and collapses on a chair. Chrome serves Lambo a sandwich with tomato, lettuce, cheese, and bacon in it.

He watches as the four guardians tried to make a cake for him. In the end, Hibari, who was tired of smelling burning milk and eggs, took over the kitchen and cracked eggs on people's skulls and made a simple cake for Lambo. He stayed until they lit thirteen candles on the cake and sang happy birthday to Lambo and then left, with Hibird riding on his shoulder.

Today, Lambo is thirteen.

It was the first time in many years that he had woken up before the rest of the people on his birthday.

There were no tangible presents.

But there was a cake.

In the end, Lambo still had fun. Even though Tsuna and Reborn weren't there, or Ryohei, Gianni, Bianchi, Fuuta, Maman, or Dino, it was still okay.

Later, Lambo would go visit Tsuna's coffin and tell him something.

He would tell him that, even though his only present from Yamamoto, Gokudera, Chrome, Mukuro, and Hibari was a cake, he still enjoyed it. And that Hibari made very good cakes.

And that he had received another present, too.

Something that had been with him since the age of five.

His family.

* * *

_Edit: August 7, 2011_

_Throw stones. I deserve it._

_I tried to think about Lambo's head. What was going on in it. So, it turned out really simple XD __Oh, and Lambo's birthday was a few days ago, not today._

_Anyways, thanks to all reviewers!_

_Wish me luck on this week's exams!_


	6. Gokudera's Mission

Yamamoto took his plate of eggs and bacon to the kitchen table, along with his freshly made coffee, ready to eat. He glanced at the clock and sighed, remembering, _Lambo's coming down in two minutes..._

He started frying a couple more eggs and some more bacon and put some bread in the toaster. He poured Lambo a tall glass of milk and set it on the table.

Two minutes later, Lambo stumbled downstairs, still in his cow pajamas. He was rubbing his eyes and tripped over his feet and fell, poking his eye with a finger in the process. As Lambo started wailing, Yamamoto laughed said, "Maa, maa, Lambo, be more careful. Haha, this is the seventh time in a row!" and handed the sobbing Lambo a pack of ice he had previously taken out, 'just in case'. Lambo simply sniffed and shuffled over to the table. Yamamoto smiled for no reason at all and brought out another plate and gave Lambo his breakfast.

He sat down to eat, when the clock caught his eye. _Maa... Hibari's going to come up to get a bag of tea now, isn't he..._

Sure enough, a few seconds later, Hibari calmly stepped into the kitchen. Like the other seven times this had happened, he said, "Weak herbivores, when will you buy more green tea."

"Haha, sorry Hibari, keep forgetting," Yamamoto laughed. Hibari grunted and took a packet of French Vanilla tea instead and left the kitchen. Yamamoto saw Kusukabe rush past the doorway right after.

Yamamoto took out another pack of ice from the freezer, tossed it by the stove, and settled down next to the sullen Lambo to gulp down his breakfast. And a few minutes later, just as the past seven days had played out, Yamamoto heard a stream of curses from the stairs. For the seventh time, Yamamoto quickly dropped his fork with a loud clatter and clang and slapped his hands over Lambo's ears, who winced and looked at Yamamoto quizzically. Yamamoto grinned and inclined his head towards the kitchen doorway, where Gokudera was leaning against its frame and was rubbing his foot, scowling furiously and uttering every foul word in his vocabulary.

"Damnit," Gokudera growled. "Sword-freak, is there any ice?" Ever since Yamamoto quit baseball, Gokudera had resorted to calling him 'sword-freak.'

Yamamoto swallowed down the hunk of bacon in his mouth and grinned. He pointed to the area next to the stove, where a damp pack of ice sat lumpily. Gokudera grabbed it and pressed it against his toes.

"Haha, seventh time this week," Yamamoto said cheerfully. He heard a low "shut up" from Gokudera's direction before Gokudera dumped the rest of the bacon and eggs in the frying pan into an empty plate, all the while balancing on one leg and keeping the ice pack on his foot. Gokudera walked over to the table where Yamamoto and Lambo sat and slammed his plate down, making the milk in Lambo's cup slosh up over the edges and drip down the sides, forming a small, white puddle around the glass' edge.

Yamamoto looked up in surprise, Lambo doing the same. Gokudera stomped over to the coffee pot and poured out the last cup of coffee. He dumped a sugar cube into his coffee cup and as he stirred it around, he poured cream into it and watched as the coffee slowly turned a lighter shade and rose up to the brim of the cup. Gokudera walked back over to the table and set the cup down more gently than he did with the plate and noticed Yamamoto and Lambo looking at him with surprise written all over their faces.

"What," Gokudera snarled grouchily, plopping himself down into one of the chairs.

"Haha... W-well, this is a change..." Yamamoto said unsteadily.

"What the hell do you mean?" Gokudera asked, viciously biting into his breakfast. He stood up again and shuffled over to the pantry, where he took out a loaf of bread and started slicing it up.

"Well... uh..." Yamamoto said, eyes fixed on the knife in Gokudera's hands. Gokudera was slicing the bread in a rather odd fashion; venomously stabbing the knife deep into the bread before actually slicing it. "Erm..."

Gokudera gathered up the slices and dumped them into the toaster. He walked back over to the table and sat down, looking expectantly at Yamamoto, an eyebrow raised.

"What is it, sword-freak?" Gokudera said, stabbing an egg on the prongs of his fork.

"Well... uh... usually after you get your breakfast, you take it downstairs into your room and... um... you just don't really ever sit down for uh... breakfast with... us...?" Yamamoto said lamely. He laughed a bit in an attempt to make it sound less... lame.

Gokudera stared at him for a bit and only stopped when the toaster went _ping! _He looked away and said "Che!" before getting up to retrieve his toast.

The rest of breakfast went on in silence.

* * *

He had scoured every single letter, character, word, line, phrase, and paragraph, yet he could find nothing. No clues, no hints, no orders, no commands. Hell, he had even taken the first letter of every line, the first letter of every word and arranged them together in every way possible and he still found nothing.

But why was he expecting something?

After all, it was just a letter.

_Gokudera-kun,_

_It's not your fault, so don't kill yourself. And keep an eye on Mukuro, make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. Great job with everything._

_Very good, keep yourself busy and take good care of the family, alright? I'm sure you will, so why am I worrying like this? Don't worry Gokudera, for sure, everything will be fine and totally great! Orchids are nice, don't you think?_

_I really think that everything will be okay. Make sure that everyone's underground in case or if there's anything dangerous going on._

_Anyways, like I said earlier, don't feel too down, okay? It'll all be okay and great later. Promise? Take good care of the family, and make sure Lambo doesn't drink too much milk._

_--Tsuna_

It was a rather strange letter. Such strange sentences and strange roundabout ways of saying things. Gokudera's eyes narrowed. A fake? He took out a hand microscope and scrutinized the letter. No, it was definitely Tsuna's handwriting, but Gokudera found something else. It was small, and it was probably nothing, it was also very subtle, and if you were anyone but Gokudera, you'd probably not notice it at all. But, still, Gokudera clung to that faint hope and examined the letter again. The letter had been written in pencil lead, and various letters were slightly, just slightly darker than others.

_**G**okudera-k**u**n,_

_It's not your f**a**ult, so don't kill you**r**self. And keep an eye on Mukuro, make sure he **d**oesn't do anyth**in**g **s**tupid. **G**re**at** job wit**h** ev**er**ything._

_**V**ery g**o**od, keep yourself busy a**n**d take **g**ood care **o**f the fami**l**y, **a**lright? I'm su**r**e you w**i**ll, so why am I worryi**ng **like thi**s**? **D**on't worry Gokud**e**ra, **f**or sur**e**, everything will be fine and tot**a**lly grea**t**! Orchids are nice, don't you think?_

_**I r**eally think that everything w**i**ll b**e** okay. Make **s**ure t**h**at every**o**ne's undergro**u**nd **i**n **c**ase or if t**h**ere's anyth**i**ng dangerous going on._

_**A**nyways, **l**ike I said ear**l**ier, don't **f**eel too down, okay? **I**t'll all be okay a**n**d gr**e**at later. Promise? Take good care of the family, and make sure Lambo doesn't drink too much milk._

_--Tsuna_

_P.S. I think G-Script is really cool.  
_

So Gokudera took those letters and wrote them out, hope rising with each letter.

**guardiansgather**

**vongolaringsdefeat**

**irieshouichi**

**allfine**

Gokudera was right. Tsuna _had_ left clues for him and the rest. Tsuna _had _trusted him to some extent. His letter had been the only one written in pencil and the rest were in pen. Tsuna had counted on Gokudera to scrutinize every word, every sentence, to go to the extremes in the hopes that Tsuna had left him _something _other than a messed up, random letter. Now, to decipher the message.

Gokudera frowned. "Vongola rings defeat... Irie? No, he mentioned orchids... Byakuran?" he scribbled that down. What about Shouichi, though? And why was the boss talking about the rings? They had been destroyed. The only people holding the Vongola rings would be in the past...

"The past..." Gokudera mumbled. The only way to get the rings would be to go back to the past...

Or to have the past come forward into the future.

Currently, there was no way to travel back in time, but there was a way to go forward...

Were there rings in the future, perhaps? But the ten-year-bazooka was lost, and had been lost for years now.

"The past..." Gokudera muttered. "Ourselves? From the past."

Gokudera decided to sleep, thinking one more day wouldn't do much.

* * *

"Gokudera!"

Gokudera groaned and rolled over. The fist banging on the door was incessant. Gokudera wondered how long that fist had been banging.

"Gokudera! Oi, Gokudera!"

"This is bad," someone else said. "Should we bust down the door?"

Gokudera rolled out of bed and shuffled irritatedly to the door and swung it open before any such act could be carried out. Behind the door was a panicked Yamamoto and an eager Lambo. Yamamoto looked as if he was just about to cut the door up with his sword and Lambo was watching with interest.

"What the hell is it, you freaks?" Gokudera snarled, stifling a yawn.

"Mukuro's missing!" Yamamoto said, pulling his hair.

"What do you mean?" Gokudera said.

"He's just... He... he's gone!" Yamamoto said. "We can't find him anywhere and he left this-" Yamamoto thrust a crinkled piece of paper at Gokudera, "on the refrigerator."

_Kufufu~_

_Until we meet again~_

It was unsigned, but who else would put bloody ~'s in and say, 'kufufu'?

* * *

_gather the guardians_

_with the vongola rings, defeat Byakuran_

_eliminate the guy with the glasses in the photograph_

_everything will return as it was_

That's what Gokudera had come up with. It was the only logical way. The only option. The only hope.

Gather the guardians... in this time period would be impossible. Hibari had just left on a mission, Mukuro had disappeared, Chrome had long been missing, Ryohei had been on a mission for a long time now. And they definitely didn't have the Vongola rings now and had no way to attain them. There was no way to defeat Byakuran in their current condition, with enemies left and right and searching 24/7 for their base now. They had no access to where Irie was nor did they know where he was. And with all those hurdles, there was definitely no way things would be fine. So the only thing to do would be to take the Millefiore by surprise and bring their younger selves to the future. They always had a knack of managing to find each other and grouping up to fight in the past.

Gokudera reasoned that Hibari must know something about all this; he had seen him and Tsuna walking together and talking seriously often. Gokudera felt a slight twinge of jealousy, but it was logical for Tsuna to give information to others as well, rather than just to him. And that pineapple bastard, that smirk on his face screamed "I know something you don't~!" It was better that way, Gokudera guessed, and Tsuna did it to ensure the protection of the others if one of them was captured. He still felt happy though, being able to have an important part in this war.

Gokudera had doubt in his mind, but he pushed that back. This was Tsuna, and Tsuna would do anything to make sure everyone was kept safe... even if it meant he had to die to do so. Tsuna must have planned this out, must have predicted everything... still, it was a big gamble. What if Gokudera had given up during his search for clues? If he had died? Had been captured? But Tsuna must have put Gokudera's faithful determination into his calculations.

Gokudera had written the letter out in G-Script and planned to carry it with him everywhere he went to ensure that if ten-year bazooka were fired on him in the past, he and only he would be able to read it. If he were captured, the enemies certainly would not be able to decode it... he hoped.

Hope. That's all he could do now. Hope and wait.

* * *

_Confusing? Yes. Badly written? Yes. An update? Good enough for me. Sorry for crappiness... and grammar/spelling issues.  
_

Disclaimer: Don't own KHR


	7. Hibari's Remorse

He walked with a slow, nonchalant saunter. It was night time and the moon was out, peeking through the unnatural, dense mist that swirled around him hungrily.

It was night time and the night would hide it all.

He saw a shadow detach itself from a street light and approach him. He stopped, watching it calmly through steely eyes that reflected no emotion but one: hatred.

"You have the money?"

He tossed the wad of cash at the still shadowed man. There was a ruffle as the man counted the cash before pocketing it.

"That's it?"

There was a flash of steel as he stepped forward and brought his weapon up to the man's throat.

"Stingy, aren't we?" the man chuckled. "Alright, alright, I got it."

He lowered his arm.

"I'll need hush money."

A swish; a laugh. His weapon whistled uselessly through black mist left behind by the man's illusion.

"I was just kidding. I fear Hibari Kyouya of the Vongola just as much as any sane man would."

A snort.

"But…" the man mused, rematerializing just behind Hibari so that his breath swept past his ear when he whispered, "I wonder what would happen if your little comrades knew…"

A moment's silence. Then he began walking away, with that same nonchalant saunter.

"I have no comrades."

The man chuckled.

"If you mess up…" Hibari paused and turned slightly and locked one cold grey eye with the man's own two eyes. "_I'll bite you to death."_

The man stood stiff with fear and surprise on the same spot long after Hibari walked away. After a few minutes, he relaxed and let out a long, low whistle. A white crescent appeared on the shadow of his face as he grinned insanely.

"Damn… I wonder what that poor Vongola boss did to him… to have that much hatred in his eye…"

A breeze blew past, ruffling the hair of the nameless illusionist.

"I do wonder… what they would do if they knew that Hibari Kyoya was about to kill their precious little boss."

* * *

He was ready. As ready as a murderer-to-be could be. He straightened his tie one last time and swept his eyes over his room. They traveled across his futon, over his dresser, and halted on the mirror.

There was a man standing in the mirror. He wore a neat, pressed suit and a straight tie. A mess of black hair framed his face. Cold, grey steely eyes stared back at Hibari. There was no trace of emotion that showed on the man's face, as far as Hibari could see. His eyes traveled down the man in the mirror and stopped at the revolver tucked in his belt.

It was himself Hibari was looking at, himself, with a revolver in his belt.

He rolled five shiny bullets in his hand before slipping them into his pocket. They were five, shiny bullets that would soon be lodged deep into a man's flesh.

* * *

Thick fog descended, and he knew the nameless illusionist had begun his work. He backed away from their small, pathetic group as the enemy streaked down from the sky, flames billowing from the rings they bore on their fingers.

It was the only fight he would ever back out of.

He had more important things to do.

It was only a split second after his first step back when an exact copy of him appeared where he had stood. A curtain of fog fell around him as it rushed forward with the rest of the Vongola, fighting enemies made of flesh, mist and lies, while he walked away, drawing the revolver from his belt. He brought the first bullet from his pocket and rolled it through his fingers.

He slid it into its slot. And then the next. And the next. Until all five holes contained its own bullet.

And then he waited.

To pass the time, he watched the thick whiteness of the mist. If he looked carefully, he could see the shapes of wasted horses stepping slowly between thorny brambles. He could see butterflies with tattered wings flapping their wings of mist frantically before being blown apart by the slightest breeze. He could see the shapes of men falling, as if shot, to the ground.

By now, the Vongola would be separated. And now, the fight would be drawing to a close. And now… now was the time.

He only had to wander through the mist for a little while before he came across his target. He still walked with that same, carefree gait, as if he were but a cloud in the sky, taking its time to travel across the world, for it had all the time it needed… And Hibari had all the time he needed, for the hired illusionist would make sure of that.

He finally found him. Tsuna was on his hands and knees, surrounded by unmoving bodies. Blood was splattered on his clothes and hair as if someone had taken a paintbrush soaked with crimson paint and flicked it all across his body. Hibari rested his eyes on Tsuna for a second before raising the gun. His hand was steady. His breath was even. Tsuna's hands were bloody and shaking. Tsuna's breath was ragged.

Hibari stood there with the gun pointing straight at Tsuna for a while, staring unblinkingly with an icy glare, imagining the first bullet tearing through Tsuna's flesh.

"Hibari, is that you?"

His hand tightened around the gun.

"Are the others alright?"

No answer.

Tsuna turned.

One after another with no pause in between, each with a deafening blast, the bullets left the gun.

Fog fell around Hibari like a curtain falling at the end of a show. He did not have time to see the body fall; he was not sure if he wanted to. He threw aside the empty gun and walked away from the body as he heard somebody else run towards it. He heard a scream without words and he stopped.

_What was that?_

He wandered aimlessly through the mist, like a cloud with no purpose would across a bleak sky, scowling. The mist reminded him too much of Rokudo Mukuro. He saw figures not too far ahead of him and wondered if it was the mist playing tricks on him again. It began to rain.

_Who is that?_

He walked towards the grey shadows ahead of him, still walking when a thick roll of fog obscured his vision. His pace quickened without his notice and he did not feel the rain that slashed against his body. He could see now, who it was beside Tsuna. Yamamoto, Lambo, Mukuro, Ryohei. He sank slowly down beside the body. His hands were cold, as cold as the metal of the revolver had been in his grip. He stared up blankly at the sky and blinked against the rain.

Had he done the right thing?

* * *

"OI! WAKE UP YOU DAMN BASTARD!"

Hibari rolled over, displeased that he had been woken up by the rude yells of Gokudera early in the morning. He preferred waking up to the sound of rushing water in his quiet, Japanese-style room.

A fist hammered angrily against his door.

"YOU KNOW EVERYTHING, DON'T YOU? WHERE THE HELL IS THAT MIST FREAK?"

Hibari removed himself reluctantly from his futon. Yawning, he walked over to his bedroom door and swung it open just as Gokudera was about to slam his fist against it. His fist met Hibari's face with a dull thwack. Yamamoto and Lambo, who were standing just behind Gokudera, gasped in horror.

"Good morning," Hibari said coldly, drawing out his tonfa. "I see you wish to be bitten to death. Very well, I shall grant your wish."

"I don't have fucking time for this shit," Gokudera snarled. He brandished a handful of dynamite angrily. "Where the hell is the pineapple bastard."

Hibari yawned. "Get out, you herbivores. I'm sleepy."

Gokudera grabbed the front of Hibari's yukata and swung his fist across his face. Immediately, he was on the ground, spitting out blood. A glint from the metal of Hibari's tonfa could be seen underneath the sleeve of his yukata. He yawned again and closed his eyes, attempting to catch a few more minutes of sleep while standing.

"H-hey, Hibari, you shouldn't be like that," Yamamoto said reproachfully as Lambo held out a hand to help Gokudera up. He slapped it away and got to his feet, dynamite already in his hands once more.

"I'm gonna kill this fucking bastard—"

Hibari snorted. "You're pathetic."

"What did you say?" Gokudera's voice was quiet with fury.

"Pathetic," Hibari repeated. "Want me to say it again?"

He didn't even have to open his eyes to see what was going on. He knew Gokudera had lunged forward viciously and that now Yamamoto and Lambo both were restraining him.

"Fucking _let go of me._"

"Oi, Gokudera, I know you're about to reach your limit, but don't you think we should all calm down?"

"Pathetic. Once your herbivore of a boss is gone, you can't do anything."

"Don't you fucking insult the tenth—"

"Do you need him by your side to be able to function properly? Hmn. I had thought you had grown up over these years, Gokudera Hayato, but it seems that you are still the same pathetic herbivore as ever."

"_Don't call me herbivore, you bas—"_

Hibari could feel something heating up inside him, something he had pushed down deep inside of himself ever since he had shot that gun. It was something like anger, but it was a different anger than before.

Was it grief?

"Weak herbivores following around their weak herbivore boss. I can't believe I'm still here."

"Don't you fucking – let me go, damnit, don't insult the tenth, you filthy bastard!"

There was a short silence as Hibari felt his anger boil over.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi was nothing but a weak, pathetic fool," he said in a quiet voice. There was a stunned silence as he turned back to his room. He shut the door and breathed out, leaned against it, and let his head fall back.

"A weak, pathetic, and heartless fool."

Who had to look after Lambo's birthday? Who had to make sure Yamamoto didn't try to kill himself again? Who had to make sure Mukuro discovered the truth at the right time? Who was it that stopped Ryohei from giving himself a concussion by banging his head against his knees? Who, after nearly a month, had to sneak into Gokudera's room to make the message more obvious in his letter?

_Who was it that had to end Tsuna's life?_

Him.

It was all him.

He, the supposedly aloof guardian, the one who was bound yet free from the Vongola, the one who would do things his own way, had to take up the responsibility. _Hibari_ had to make sure everything went as planned. _Hibari_ had to make sure the Vongola didn't fall. _Hibari was the one to put the plan into motion._

He was the one who had to shoot the bullets. He was the one to have to kill one of the closest people to him. Not Gokudera; not Yamamoto. They wouldn't have been able to pull the trigger. They had a 'heart.'

So Tsuna had picked him, Hibari, the cold, heartless one. Tsuna had chosen him, and by choosing him, he placed upon his conscience a terrible weight that Hibari himself did not know he could have.

The weight of grief.

Of all the guardians, Hibari would have thought that Sawada Tsunayoshi would be the one to understand the horror felt after ending a person's life. Ah, but wait. Tsuna had never killed. Thus, he would not know. Hibari had killed before this, and he had felt nothing more than a slight twinge, if even that. But this, this was different. This was killing someone he knew –

Hibari chuckled and smirked. What was this? Hibari Kyoya grieving?

– the intense pain he felt after pulling the trigger had almost been too much –

No. No, he refused to let himself become an herbivore like the rest, one with a 'heart…'

– but Sawada Tsunayoshi had counted upon Hibari's 'heartlessness' to proceed with his plan –

… He was curled up with his back against the door, hands clenching his hair…

– without a single thought that maybe, just _maybe_, Hibari Kyoya wasn't a ruthless killing machine who felt no emotion but bloodthirstiness; that maybe Hibari Kyoya wasn't as strong as he seemed; that maybe it would hurt to kill someone he had unconsciously grown attached to. Even if they were to come back.

"Kyo-san! Kyo-san, are you all right?"

"I am fine," Hibari said coldly, regaining his composure. "I'm… simply a little tired. Let me rest."

"Ah, before that," Kusukabe said hastily. "I apologize that this is so late, but it was set aside from the others… We found it in his bookcase, but anyways, this is Sawada Tsunayoshi's letter to you."

Hibari's eyes widened marginally before accepting the letter. As Kusukabe left the room, he slit the envelope open and read its contents. A wide, dark smirk grew on his face and he crumpled the letter up before throwing it on the futon.

"You weak, pathetic herbivore."

He dressed himself in a freshly ironed suit and collected his boxes and rings. Then, for good measure, he put Tsuna's letter in his pocket.

It was time to go.

"I'm going to bite you to death."

The real war was about to commence.

* * *

_Dear Hibari,_

_If my calculations were correct, you should receive this letter a long time after the rest of the guardians had. About a month or so? Perhaps two. Or three._

_Anyways, now is the time to move._

_You know what to do._

_You still frighten me a lot, so I didn't give you a reason as to why you had to do what you did… but the reason is as simple as this: No one else could do it. No one else is as brave as you. No one else is as strong as you._

_No one else has your resolution._

_Anyways! Enough with the rambling. If all goes well, I shall expect to see you again soon._

_ – Sawada Tsunayoshi_

_P.S. Sleeping bullets are useful, aren't they?_

* * *

_lalala~ oh hey guys. Long time no see, eh?_

_ohohoho_

_=_="_

_I AM SORRY. I HAVE NO EXCUSE OTHER THAN LAZINESS, PROCRASTINATION, AND. YEAH. lol._

_anyways, this was a pretty bad chapter. In case you don't understand (hell, I wouldn't understand), in the end, it is revealed that Hibari only shot sleeping bullets instead of real ones. He, however, did not know this beforehand, which is why he is showing (uncharacteristic) remorse._

_If I ever get around to writing another chapter, the next would be... Cavallone Dino! _

_You guys are way too nice... I never thought i would get so many reviews for this story ;_; At this point, though, I would be happy if I even got a single one for this chapter -_-'_

_Until next time! :)_


	8. Dino's Friendship

_A sort of humorous break in all the gloomy writing I've been doing. You just can't write Varia without… making them Varia._

* * *

Extra Chapter: Cavallone Dino and the Varia

It was like a slap in the face.

"I-I'm sorry, what?"

He stumbled into the chair beside him, the hand holding the phone shaking so violently he almost dropped it.

"I don't think I heard you right."

"_Whether you believe me or not," _the voice on the other side of the line said nastily, _"it's the truth. Sawada Tsunayoshi is dead. We are screwed over in this war against the Millefiore."_

"Dead?"

"_It looks like I am not going to get anywhere in this conversation with you, Cavallone Dino,"_ the voice said snidely. _"I have other people to inform, so goodbye for now._"

There was a click as the other person hung up. The phone clattered to the floor.

"Dead?"

He didn't even jump when the door slammed open and a silver haired swordsman barreled through.

"VOII, CAVALLONE, YOU BASTARD, ANY NEWS FROM THE VONG – what the hell?

Squalo stood awkwardly in the doorway for a moment, staring, transfixed, at the blond man.

"Voi," he said uncertainly, "Cavallone, are you… crying?"

Warily, he stepped forward, swearing that if this was a trap set up by Dino to knock him unconscious and curl his hair again, he was going to _kill Dino_ and _kill him good._ He reached out a tentative hand – the one without the sword of course, although he would like nothing more than to stab Dino through with the blade for all the misfortunes he had caused Squalo.

"Dino…?"

All of a sudden, he was pulled down to his knees as the sobbing Dino grabbed a hold of Squalo's middle, burying his face and wiping snot and tears on Squalo's freshly laundered uniform. Not quite sure what to do, Squalo roared, "VOI, WHAT THE HELL? ARE YOU A FUCKING TWO YEAR OLD?"

But there was something wrong. Dino didn't shove a grin into Squalo's face for once. Nor did he start laughing, saying it was all a joke. Instead, the room was just filled with those body-racking sobs that made Squalo so uncomfortable.

"V-voi," he said, raising his hand. "What the hell happened to you?"

His hand almost reached the blond man's head when the door burst open (He really was going to just grab Dino by the hair and wrench that dirty face off of his uniform, he convinced himself later after being teased endlessly by Bel about how he had been about to stroke Dino's hair (lovingly).), revealing a disheveled Fran who had knives sticking out of his head in all directions.

"Taichou, Bel-senpai is throwing knives at me again," he drawled before seeing the situation. "Taich – oh."

Fran saw Dino's arms wrapped around Squalo's middle and Squalo's normal hand almost touching Dino's hair. His expression turned very vague as he said, "Aw, Taichou, I didn't know you were a player like that."

"The hell –"

"What's going on here?" Bel sniggered, poking his head around the door. His smile froze on his face. "Ah, so Commander Squalo finally shows his true colors? Won't Lussuria be happy–" Knives gleaming in his hands, Bel turned a smile-less face towards Fran who gulped and edged away. "But, I'm still not forgiving you for calling me ugly prince."

Squalo kneeled rooted to the spot, the words of his kouhais ringing through his head. Player… true colors… Lussuria… happy…?

What.

"I'M NOT GAY, DAMN IT!" Squalo finally roared, struggling to get out of Dino's grip. "YOU FUCKING BRATS, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

Dino's arms tightened around Squalo's waist and his quiet voice said, "Don't say things like that, Squalo."

Startled, Squalo stopped in the middle of his furious rampage. "Huh?"

"Don't say things like 'I'm going to kill you'… It's too sad…"

Squalo could feel Dino's tears seeping in through his coat. It was _disgusting_. He bashed Dino on the head, sending him crashing to the ground, passing the twinge of regret he felt off as a stomachache when the man lay pitifully on the carpet, making no moves to get back up.

"The hell, Cavallone?" Squalo snarled, unnerved. "Did your mom die or something?"

"Tsuna."

"Huh?" Squalo said, eyebrow twitching as he looked down on the motionless Dino. "What about that brat?"

"He's dead."

* * *

Xanxus burst out laughing as Squalo relayed the news. "So that pathetic piece of trash is finally dead, huh?"

"Boss," Levi said almost tearfully, "this means you can finally take your rightful place as the Boss of the Vongola!"

A wine bottle crashed against Levi's head, making him totter to the side and collapse onto Lussuria, who caught him as if Levi were a swooning lady. "Now, now, boss darling," Lussuria crooned, ducking when another bottle was sent flying at his own head. "Let's be gentle."

"I only want the Vongola at its strongest," Xanxus said calmly. "I know that it's not there yet."

So the Vongola Tenth brat was dead? As much as he hated to admit, this was a major problem for the Vongola in the war against Millefiore. The brat was strong, although scrawny, and the Vongola had only just barely held on this long because of his quick, calm orders. Snorting, Xanxus downed his wine in one gulp.

The fuck should he care whether the brat was dead or alive?

As Xanxus downed bottle after bottle of wine imperiously on his throne-like chair, Squalo slipped out of the room before Bel started playing darts again – with Squalo as the target. Grumbling, he made his way through the long stretches of hallway leading to the kitchen. He flicked on the lights, opened a bottle of water, turned around and then –

"JUST WHAT THE HELL, CAVALLONE. ARE YOU SOME FUCKING GHOST OR SOMETHING?"

Dino slipped on the spilled water and fell flat on his face, once again making no attempts to get up. He lay there like a sodden mop, absorbing water from the dirty floor. Fuming, Squalo grabbed the back of Dino's shirt and hauled him over to a chair where he sat dazedly, eyes unfocused. His head tottered from side to side on his neck unsteadily like those bobble heads Squalo so wanted to line up and decapitate.

"Yo, Squalo," Dino said giddily. "What's up?"

Blinking, Squalo snarled, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Dino giggled – _giggled_ – and Squalo shuddered. He was seriously frightened – no, he was _unsettled_ now by Dino's strange actions (because Squalo was a manly man, and manly men never got scared), and a second later he was even more unnerved when Dino burst into tears.

"I'm never going to see him again," Dino said quietly, when he had calmed back down. "Can you imagine that? My cute sworn brother – he's not going to come back."

Squalo grunted as he poured coffee grains into two cups.

"I never had a chance to say goodbye to him," Dino said miserably. "The last time I saw him, I had to rush off because Romario called me back to the base. He was about to tell me something, but I cut him off. Oh god, I'm such an idiot.

"Gokudera must be devastated," Dino said, laughing hollowly. "Takeshi, too; I heard they had a fight just before he died. Ryohei also always saw Tsuna as a younger brother; he must be beating himself up. Mukuro and Chrome – they were always strange kids, but I'm sure they're sad, too. And Lambo, the poor kid. Kyouya – is probably just doing his own stuff as usual. I really can't believe it," Dino said, leaning back in his chair. He let the tears fall again from his closed eyes. "Tsuna kicked the bucket just like that and left everyone behind.

"I wonder if I'll go like that, too," Dino said, breaking into a dry smile. "If I'll just one day get shot or something and leave Romario with my mess and crap. I'll be gone just like Tsuna." He laughed bitterly. "Just like that, someone so special is gone from this world. Squalo," Dino said, eyes still closed. In a rush, he asked, "Have you ever thought about death?"

Death? Squalo mused, stirring the dark brown coffee. "Not really," he had to say. "If you mess up, then you die, and that's it."

"That's it?" Dino echoed. "You don't think anyone would be sad?"

Squalo snorted. "Are you kidding me? That shitty boss would break out the champagne from the nineteenth century he's been saving up and Levi would dance on my grave. If I had a grave," Squalo added. "Bel would use my gravestone as a practice target and Fran would put ghost illusions everywhere just to prove his point that I'm weird. Sad? Don't fuck with me."

"I'd be sad."

Squalo didn't quite process what Dino said until about a minute later. Guffawing, he nearly dropped the hot coffee on his toes and sputtered, "you'd be _what_?"

"I'd be sad," Dino said seriously. "I've always seen you as a friend, even if we've had our rough spots here and there."

Friend?

"I don't want to lose anyone else, Squalo," Dino said, looking like he was about to cry again. "Losing Tsuna – that's more than enough. It's too much."

Squalo grunted and set down a cup of coffee in front of Dino. He stared moodily at the reflection in the coffee.

"I never thought Tsuna would go," Dino confessed. "I know it's stupid; everyone has to go at one point or another… but Tsuna's just so… naïve that it's like something like death would never touch him. I wish I could've been there to help when he went… maybe I could have done something – maybe he'd be alive still if I'd been there."

"Just shove it," Squalo snapped. All this talk of things he didn't know how to respond to was making him edgy. "I didn't come here to listen to you blubber. If those guardian brats of his couldn't do anything, what makes you think you could have?"

"But it's the possibility that's killing me," Dino said, voice full of pain. "If I had been there, could I have done something?"

Squalo growled. What the hell was he doing, putting up with all of this crap? _Friends._ The word rang in his head. He and Dino, friends? Don't joke around.

Squalo was just an unfortunate who had been caught by surprise by Dino's depression. That was it.

"Listen, bucking horse," Squalo snarled. "I don't know why I'm leaving your head still attached to your neck, but I'm going to say this once and only once, so you had better listen good. That piece of trash – do you think it'll do him any good if you sit around and cry your damn eyes out like this? Instead of thinking about what you could have done, think about what you can fucking do now. It's – It's not like you to sit around crying like this," Squalo said gruffly. "Get up and get over it."

He stood up, feeling a little proud of himself (and really weird) inside for being able to spout that crap out like a fountain. Casting a scornful look at Dino just to make himself feel more like himself, he turned to leave.

"Thanks, Squalo."

"Huh?"

It must have been the first time anyone had ever said a genuine thanks to him. With the boss throwing wine bottles, Bel flinging knives, and Levi stabbing with umbrellas to express their gratitude, Squalo was unused to the words Dino had just said.

"For always being there for me when I'm being an idiot," Dino said, grinning. He stood and stretched, a fake smile on his face. "Well! I'll be back up and running in a few days. Just give me some time. Thanks," Dino said again, "Squalo. You're not a bad friend at all."

On the brink of tears, Dino brushed past Squalo, head bowed, and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Squalo a little unsettled.

"Friends?" he asked his coffee cup. Whatever that meant, it made him feel a little better inside, like he had a bit of good deep, deep, _deep _inside of him. Smirking, he raised his coffee cup only to stare, horrified, at Bel's reflection.

Sniggering, Bel danced backward. "Aw, what a cute romance, you sick shark."

"Taichou, I don't know whether to congratulate you or to vomit, but Lussuria-senpai told me to always be kind," Fran said, "so, congratulations."

Eye twitching, Squalo let the coffee cup drop to the ground and shatter. Screw being a good person. Hell, he was in the _Varia_ – why would he _need_ to have any good in him? He bared his teeth in a venomous snarl and yelled, "I'M NOT FUCKING GAY!"

Squalo cursed the dead Sawada Tsunayoshi for making Dino melancholy enough to spout off crap like that.

Friends? Who needed those?

"I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!"

* * *

_Next to last chapter up! Thanks for all your support :)_

_As a thanks, is there anyone else you would like to see in this story before it draws to a close?_

_For the anon **Reviewer**, I know some things are wrong XD I started this story before the manga let us know Mukuro was still locked up and I was like "well. That ruins things for me, now doesn't it," when we found out. Thank you for pointing it out! :)_


	9. Irie's Memories, Iemitsu's Son

He was staring out the window with his hands behind his back, waiting for the news he knew would come. It had been a long time since he had last met that boy… or maybe it was just not too long ago. These days, the hours would stretch on for eternity; and today was no better.

His green eyes glared through the mist determinedly, seeing not the gray sky before them, but a different vision… Irie Shouichi had boarded the train to his memories as he waited calmly for the news to come.

His first encounter with the boy, he had to admit, did not leave a very good first impression. In fact, for the weeks to come, he had nightmares about cow-print chameleons holding guns, babies with enormous cheeks bulging out of their faces, and a purple haired woman who blasted everything into oblivion.

In any case, that first meeting brought him great distress and led him to the pits of unconsciousness with foam coming out of his mouth and tears flowing from his eyes.

The second time he ran into the boy was during the school year, when he was fifteen years old.

"M-my bike," a pitiful voice wailed. Looking around, he saw a horribly familiar boy with wild brown hair crouching down mournfully beside a bike. "Hibari-san is definitely going to bite me to death…"

He wondered for a moment whether he should be a Good Samaritan and extend a Hand of Help to the boy.

"Um," Irie said, coughing, a little hesitant to be communicating with the boy who had put him through nightmares. "I-if you like, I could help you fix your bike."

The boy's head shot up and a look of hope spread out across his face, making Irie's insides squirm a bit – he'd never seen such a happy look. "U-uh, what seems to be the problem?"

Within a few minutes, Irie had figured out what was wrong with the bike and set to fixing it as well as he could while the brown haired boy thanked him continuously. With a last 'thank you,' the boy swung his legs around the repaired bike and set off hurriedly, shrieking about how 'Hibari-san" was going to "bite him to death" for being so late.

The third time Irie had met that boy was in a bookshop during his last year of high school. Looking back on that time, Irie wryly remembered that he had been a truly depressed soul – his career as a musician was not looking good, and his mother, who had been diagnosed with stomach cancer, insisted that he follow a different path. His girlfriend had just dumped him after he had found out she'd been cheating on him for months, and his father had just died trying to save a boy from a raging river. His sister had recently been murdered by someone – he had heard rumors that it was a mafia family – and his grades were dropping now. What kind of life was this?

Nothing too great.

He was brooding moodily, staring unseeingly at a bookshelf filled with college-prep textbooks, wondering just what the point of life was – already, he had bought a bottle of pills and was seriously considering ending his life. The bottle sat in the schoolbag he had slung across his shoulder, along with a cold bottle of water which was sweating and getting his notes wet.

"Hiie! I'm sorry!"

Shaking out of his depressed stupor, Irie looked around for the person who had just crashed into him. He was surprised to see the brown haired boy sprawled across the floor with books strewn all around him. Solemnly, Irie helped the boy up, wondering what kind of fate it was to meet the boy whose name he did not know three times.

"Ah, you're the person who fixed my bike!" the boy said after thanking Irie. "I never got to introduce myself, sorry. I don't know if you even remember that, but I'm Sawada – Sawada Tsunayoshi."

Nodding, Irie said, "I remember you." _How could I not._ "I'm Irie Shouichi."

"Uhm," Tsuna said hesitantly, fidgeting a little under Irie's rather soul-less look, "I never got to thank you properly, either… so, would you let me treat you to dinner?"

"Huh? It's fine."

"N-no – you sort of saved my life that day," Tsuna said, laughing awkwardly. "There's a restaurant not too far away from here, so if you're not busy…"

Deciding that he might as well enjoy the last meal of his life, Irie turned away from the textbooks and shrugged, indicating that Tsuna should lead the way.

As he walked close behind Tsuna in an awkward silence, he noticed several things about him. One, the boy was very short, and it was only his wild hair that made him seem taller; two, he had a sort of air around him that suggested for most of his life, he had been bullied; and three, although he had that wimpy look, there was a bit of a more confident aura about him, something that suggested he wasn't really what he seemed to be.

In no time at all, they found themselves in an Italian-style restaurant and sitting at a table by the windows. Tsuna fiddled uncomfortably with the menus they had been given before saying impulsively, "Shouchi-san, is there something on your mind? You look really depressed."

Looking up from his menu, Irie stared at Tsuna for a bit before returning to scanning the items. "I guess so."

"Uhm," Tsuna said, looking unhappy. "I know we just met each other… but if you need someone to talk to…"

"It's okay," Irie cut in, flipping to the back of the menu. "I'm going to die in a few hours, so don't worry yourself about it. Waiter – could I order some Mezzaluna?"

"I-I'll have the same," Tsuna spluttered. "But, Shouichi-san, why –?"

When he received no answer from Shouichi, Tsuna mumbled, "Don't you… have things you want to do?"

"Sure," Irie said, turning his gaze out the window. "But it's not like I'm going to be able to. I want to become a musician, but I already know that that will never work for me."_ Because I've been traveling to the future._ "Almost my whole family is dead already – in a few years, it'll just be me."

"But… Shouichi-san, I'm sure your family wouldn't want you to also die."

"Well, there's really no future for me," Shouichi said, shrugging. "My grades have been horrible this year; I can't get into anywhere good like this. I'm sure you understand – you look like you're pretty much a failure in life, to be frank."

Tsuna put on an expression that suggested Irie had hit the mark, but nonetheless, he shook his head. "I… I can't say I understand you. I have a friend like you who, a few years back, tried committing suicide because of a reason similar to yours…"

He fiddled self-consciously with the ends of his sleeves, shifting uncomfortably as Irie continued staring blankly out the window. "I can't understand how either of you feel, because I, when at death's door, would feel a lot of regret. You seem the type to try your hardest at everything, Shouichi-san, but I never put any effort into anything. Recently, it's become different – I've found a lot of things –" Tsuna hesitated, glancing up nervously at Irie. "I don't want to die because I still have a lot of things I want to do.

"Shouichi-san, wouldn't you, at the last second, also regret dying? Because you still have so much more to do… Isn't there something you want to accomplish?"

"If there's anything I'd want to do," Irie said quietly, turning his drink around in his hands, "it would be to make the world a safer place. But really, how can a person like me achieve something like that?"

"Well…" Tsuna said, "as long as you're alive, you still have a chance of making that happen, isn't that right? Isn't a small chance better than no chance at all, Shouichi-san? Instead of throwing your life away, shouldn't you try harder to make your dream come true? I-I mean," Tsuna added hastily, holding up his hands, "I'm not one to talk, because I never do these things… but Shouichi-san… I truly believe you should give life a chance."

At that point, the waiter arrived with Irie and Tsuna's orders, saving Irie from having to think up of a response to the sappy stuff the boy had just spouted out. After that, Tsuna seemed to try to avoid the topic of life and death, talking instead about college entrance exams and schools.

After saying "I'll see you again," with a tone that implied _I'll see you again alive, right?,_ Tsuna waved goodbye to Irie before setting off in the direction of his house. Irie turned around, heading back to the bookstore. He stared through the windows for a moment, looking at the college prep books sitting on the shelves.

He decided to buy three textbooks that were half off and threw away the bottle of pills he was carrying with him.

"I guess I didn't really want to die," he said, sighing. He could see his warm breath puffing out into the cold air as he stared up at the already starry sky. "And it just took an idiot to tell my idiotic self that."

The following week, he ran into Tsuna a fourth time in the streets of the Namimori shopping district where he was trying to get some medicine for his stomach. Irie was on one side of the street, and Tsuna the other. A look of pure relief flooded Tsuna's face when he caught sight of Shouichi looking splendidly alive. People crossed in front of Tsuna, but his arm sprouted up over their heads and waved energetically; smiling and shaking his head, Irie pushed his glasses up his nose and waited for Tsuna to cross the street.

Miraculously, Irie managed to bring his grades up from their slump and entered a university where he met one of the most interesting people of his life – white haired Byakuran, complete with the purple tattoo under his eye. He found himself inclined to follow the cheerful man, interested in his talk of creating a better world – at that time, he didn't know that Byakuran meant it literally when he said 'creating.'

He believed Byakuran had good intentions; after all, the white-haired man had used his powers to find Irie's sister's murderer in a parallel world. For that, he was indebted to Byakuran, and he continued following him.

He only realized the gravity of the situation after Byakuran extended an invitation to him to join the Gesso family a few years later. Unsuspecting, Irie accepted the invitation – and that was when he found out what Byakuran really had in mind. He wanted a way out, a way to stop the man, but there was none as far as he could see –

Until the letter arrived in his mailbox.

_If you are looking for a way to stop the orchids from destroying everything, meet me where you first learned my name._

_Sawada Tsunayoshi_

He learned that the weak-looking boy was actually the Tenth boss of one of the strongest mafia families.

It was one of the biggest shocks of his life.

* * *

A year later, he was sitting at the table, looking stunned at the older Tsuna accompanied by a fearsome looking Cloud guardian who looked as if his temper might snap at any given moment.

"You… have to die?"

Nodding, Tsuna said with a smile on his face. "I'll have to die."

"I don't understand," Shouichi spluttered. "Why –?"

"It's so that my past self can be brought to the future and educated properly," Tsuna said calmly, as if he had not just suggested his own death. "It's part of Byakuran's plan as well, anyways."

"But, I don't see why you have to _die_!"

"It makes everything seem more serious," Tsuna said. "And, once I'm gone… the Vongola hunt will decrease in its intensity, and more things will get done. I know, you've been hiding it from me, but the hunt is going on – all the deaths of the people related to the Vongola family have not escaped my notice."

"On the contrary, Tsunayoshi-kun," Irie protested. "Your death will only intensify the hunt!"

"Either way, I am going to die," Tsuna said calmly. "Byakuran has set up a meeting with me, but I know that once I arrive, I will be killed. So, in order to prevent things from becoming complicated, I just have to die before that, won't I?"

"But – how –?"

"Hibari will kill me."

There was a long cold silence during which Irie found himself staring anxiously at the cloud guardian, wondering just exactly how the man would take it. A stormy look was crawling over Hibari's face, but you could hardly tell since his expression had been like that from the beginning. Drumming his fingers nervously against his knees, Irie darted his eyes from the still smiling Tsuna to the Hibari who looked as if he couldn't be angrier about the situation.

"Excuse me?" Hibari finally said. "Sawada Tsunayoshi, I will do what exactly?"

"You'll kill me," Tsuna continued, avoiding Hibari's eyes. "Irie-kun will suggest an ambush, and during the confusion, you'll kill me."

"I do not remember agreeing to something like this," Hibari said stiffly. "I am wasting my time with you herbivores."

He stood up and pushed past Tsuna who called out, "Hibari…"

The door slammed shut and the two men left in the room could hear the footsteps echoing in the secret hallway leading to their meeting place. Sighing, Irie loosened his tie and slumped back into his chair. "Nice act, Tsunayoshi-kun."

"Same to you," Tsuna said, grinning. But the smile dropped from his face. "I… I still don't like the idea of involving everyone, though…"

"We both already decided that it's necessary," Irie said. "And I'll leak some false leads to make sure nothing bad happens before the time comes."

Nodding, Tsuna closed his eyes, a dry smile coming on his face.

"Thank you, Irie-kun."

Irie's heart twisted in his chest as he looked at the weary man. A long rest – that's what Sawada Tsunayoshi needed.

It felt wrong. Very wrong… after all, Tsuna had told Irie to keep on living, and now Irie was telling Tsuna to die.

What a twisted fate.

* * *

"Shou-chan, did you hear?"

Jerking, Shouichi shook his head, jostling himself out of his thoughts. He squinted at the monitor out of which stared Byakuran's beaming face. "H-huh?"

"Sawada Tsunayoshi is dead! Thanks to your suggestion, the ambush managed to wipe the Vongola boss out!"

For a split second, a strange expression crossed over Irie's face. But then a victorious look was plastered on and he said, "Great! Everything's going according to plan!"

"Right~ Then, we'll meet up later Shou-chan and plan the next moves in this exciting game!"

The monitor switched off, and Irie pushed his glasses onto his nose.

"Now, it's only a matter of time…"

* * *

He successfully managed to climb up the stairs leading to the front door without slipping. Rearranging his clothes, he knocked loudly on the wood, waiting as he heard footsteps running in the house.

"Nana – Nana, I'll get it!"

The door cracked open, and Iemitsu peered cautiously around the door, brightening up when he saw who it was.

"Bucking horse Dino!" he said, swinging the door wide open. "I thought it might've been the Millefio – well, that doesn't matter. Come in, come in!"

Dino shook his head. "I can't stay for long. I just came to Japan to make some plans with the Varia – in a few minutes, I'm going to be boarding a plane to Italy with them."

"Did something happen?" Iemitsu asked, stepping out on the patio and closing the door.

An odd expression crossed over Dino's face; one of pain and pity; Iemitsu didn't quite know what to make of it. But his stomach started churning uncomfortably when he saw Dino's eyes drop to the ground.

"Iemitsu…" Dino said lowly. "Your son – Tsuna's dead."

Mind completely blank, Iemitsu could only stare at Dino with disbelief written all over his face.

"My son… is dead?"

"I only heard about it yesterday, but they've already held the funeral – don't try going over there; it's too dangerous." Giving Iemitsu a quick, tight hug, Dino stepped back. "I have to go. Iemitsu, we'll talk later –"

"VOIII, CAVALLONE, GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE!"

Waving hastily, Dino tripped down the small set of stairs and rolled across the lawn, stopping when Squalo aimed a kick at his head. Iemitsu watched blankly as Squalo grabbed Dino by the hair and dragged him to a black car which sped off as soon as the two men clambered inside.

Iemitsu stumbled back into the house, a horrified expression spread out across his face. He was glad Nana was outside hanging up the laundry – he didn't know what he would have done if she asked him what was wrong. He made his way back to his room on shaky legs and collapsed into his chair.

The corner of his eyes caught sight of a small photo in a glittering gold frame that sat in the most brightly lit corner of the desk. He reached out and picked it up, tears trailing down his face in a fresh wave as his eyes traveled over the beaming faces that stared out of the photograph.

His cute wife, Nana… himself, a younger, happier, goofier man… and…

"_My son…_"

He wiped the tears off the glass covering, revealing the laughing, rosy face of his one and only son, age five at the time. It had been a windy day at the park; Nana was holding her flapping hat down against her head as her hair whipped past her face. Iemitsu held a bubble wand in his hand, laughing as his son reached out with chubby fingers to try to catch the evasive bubbles. What he would give to go back to those days – what he would give to have his son back…

_"My son's all grown up now!" he sobbed, clapping Tsuna on the back. Tsuna's knees buckled. "Tenth boss of Vongola already – I feel like I'm an old, old man now."_

_"Dad – dad, this is really embarrassing," Tsuna muttered from the corner of his mouth. He straightened his suit nervously, casting an anxious glance around at the smiling faces around him._

_"My cute son!" Iemitsu bawled shamelessly. "Oh, my cute son…"_

_"Dad," Tsuna whined. Behind him, he could hear Yamamoto laughing and Gokudera retorting with an angry, "shut up, baseball idiot! This is a touching moment between father and son!"_

_"But Tsuna," Iemitsu said, wiping away his tears. He set a hand on Tsuna's shoulder, looking him gravely in the eyes. "Do you think you're ready for this?"_

_To his surprise, Tsuna laughed and put his hand over his father's. "Dad, have I ever been ready for anything? Or rather, did you ever ask me if I was ready for this?"_

_Iemitsu chuckled and ruffled Tsuna's hair. "I guess you're right. Tsuna…" His smile turned into something different – still curved up, but with a hint of sadness around the edges, like he was sad to see his son become the official boss of the Vongola. Tsuna had grown up so much… had become so much more confident… his son was an adult now and would be treading into the dark side of the world…_

_"For the first time in his life, Daddy's proud of you."_

_Iemitsu grinned as Tsuna turned an embarrassed shade of red and inched away from his father, muttering things about, "thanks dad, but I can't say the same for you." Tsuna looked up at his father and, giving him one last innocent smile, he went to join the rest of his guardians._

_"Tsunayoshi-kun has grown up a lot, hasn't he?"_

_"Ninth," Iemitsu said, bowing respectfully. He turned his gaze back onto Tsuna, a fond smile drifting across his lips as he watched Tsuna walk away from him. "Yeah, that useless son of mine has grown up so much that I'm left stunned."_

_Chuckling, the Ninth set his eyes on the young Tenth boss, observing him quietly. "You're worried, aren't you?" he said after a moment of silence._

_Snorting, Iemitsu grabbed a glass of wine from the passing waiter. He downed the red liquid in one go and, smacking his lips, he said, "Just worried to death about that clumsy son of mine. But, I threw him into the lion's den and he's come out fine so far… so I have confidence that he'll make it through the rest this somehow."_

_"You sound proud of him," the Ninth said, smiling._

_Now, Tsuna was frantically trying to keep Gokudera from leaping at Yamamoto's throat. Iemitsu chuckled at that look on his son's face – useless and lame; the same as ever._

_"Yeah, I'm proud of that wimpy son of mine."_

"Darling!" Nana's voice came through the door. She knocked lightly on the wood, startling Iemitsu from his thoughts. "Darling, is there something wrong? Dinner's ready!"

"Oh, Nana," Iemitsu said gruffly. He switched on the television just as Nana poked her head into his room.

"What's wrong?" Nana asked. "Did something happen? Why are you crying?"

"I – uh, this program was just too sad for me, so I started crying," Iemitsu said, grinning goofily. Seeing that the channel was showing some kids dancing around a purple dinosaur, he quickly switched the television set off and smiled innocently at Nana. "Dinner's ready, you said?"

Oblivious to the blatant lie, Nana nodded, smiling cheerfully at Iemitsu. Sadness tugged at his heart – _how would he tell Nana?_– but he pushed it away and got up from his chair.

"Hey, Nana, what do you think about going on vacation?"

"Vacation?"

"Yeah," Iemitsu said, turning off the lights to his room. "Just you and me, a romantic getaway to, say… Italy? What do you think?"

"I think that sounds wonderful!" Nana gushed. "Should we ask Tsu-kun to come along?"

"Ah, no," Iemitsu said, grinning forcedly. "He's kind of busy right now."

He let his eyes stray into his room and caught sight of the smiling Tsuna in the photo – his breath caught in his throat for a split second, but before the tears could begin spilling from his eyes again, he quickly shut the door.

"Ah, just you and me?" Nana was saying. "Let's go! When?"

"Say, tomorrow?"

"Alright!" Happiness was leaking out of Nana's smile, but it couldn't permeate Iemitsu's heart. "Darling, what's wrong?"

"Just thinking about that program again," Iemitsu said, brushing his hand across his eyes. "Go ahead and start dinner without me; I just remembered I have to make a phone call."

Pushing Nana into the kitchen, Iemitsu turned to the phone and began dialing a number. It rang once, twice – and then the voice of his pupil reached his ears.

_"Master? What is it?"_

"Basil," Iemitsu said, steeling himself. He said it bluntly, succinctly, as calmly as he could so that he wouldn't have to say it twice. "Tsuna's dead."

The line was silent for a moment before Basil began speaking again. _"Sawada-dono… is dead?"_

No longer wanting to linger on the fact, Iemitsu pushed on. "Nana and I are leaving for Italy tomorrow – the usual place. Do you think you could meet us there?"

_"Of-of course, but Sawada-dono–"_

"Ah, Nana's calling me," Iemitsu lied. "See you then, Basil."

He put the phone back in its place, pushing an image of Basil's hurt face out of his mind. He crossed through the hallway and stopped abruptly at the picture of Tsuna hanging up on the wall. Dressed in a suit, Tsuna looked uncannily professional, but that perpetual look of nervousness and worry was still on his face. Snorting, Iemitsu closed his eyes and continued walking. "That wimpy son of mine…"

Memories poured in through his mind – yelling "up high, higher, higher!" while throwing a screaming Tsuna into the air – going fishing with his son at an ungodly four o'clock in the morning – seeing him miraculously graduate from preschool, seeing him protect his friends, seeing him become the Tenth boss –

But, all of those were just memories now, and new ones with Tsuna would never be made again. He knew he had to accept this fact sooner or later, realize to its fullest extent that _his son was gone_, but now, for now, all he could say to his dead son as he walked past that portrait was –

"Goodbye."

**Goodbye, my one and only son.**

**Goodbye, the son that I am and always will be proud of.**

* * *

_Sorry for that other chapter - I realized that I wanted to add something else to the story and had to change a couple of things so the timeline worked out._

_This was a pretty long chapter XD I hope it was alright~_

_As always, thanks for your support! One or two chapters to go :O_


	10. Their Goodbyes

_Photos are in reference to _Appareil-Photo _(one of my previous stories). Feel free to read it, but it isn't necessary X3_

* * *

Tomorrow was the day.

But that was tomorrow – and right then, tomorrow seemed an eternity away. But at the same time, tomorrow seemed like it would come in a second. Time seemed as if it would zip right past him and leave him in the dust, just as the past twenty one years of his life had.

With a small smile on his face, Tsuna flipped through the pages of the photo album he started up way back in middle school. So many pictures; so many memories; so much happiness…

He hated to think that he would crush all of those things.

There was Yamamoto, swinging his baseball bat and smiling as usual… if only Yamamoto would smile now…

And there was Gokudera, fainting at the sight of Bianchi. A lump formed in Tsuna's throat as he pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind. Gokudera would be devastated tomorrow…

Here was Lambo, picking his nose – blinking – looking away from the camera. Perhaps the saddest fact was that Tsuna wouldn't be able to celebrate Lambo's thirteenth birthday with everyone…

Ryohei raising his fists to the air with his back to the camera… Reborn and Leon taking a snooze… Shamal with poisonous cake plastered all over his face… Mukuro sitting on the couch, Chrome standing behind him… I-pin, Haru –

And Kyoko.

And of course that photo he had managed to take of Hibari. Smiling broadly, he rubbed his arms subconsciously as he remembered the bruises and cuts it had cost him. And the teeth.

But the smile slowly slid off his face as he caught sight of the calendar set on his desk. Tomorrow was marked 'meeting with Byakuran,' but really, that was a disguise for –

_Knock, knock, knock._

His own death.

"Ah," Tsuna said, hastily flipping the photo album closed. "Come in!"

"Tenth," Gokudera said, poking his head into the room. "I came to say goodnight."

When Tsuna nodded, Gokudera let a small smile flit across his mature face before stepping into the room. "Tomorrow's the day, huh? …Tenth?"

"Oh, right," Tsuna said, shaking out of his thoughts. "Hopefully, it'll go well."

Would he be able to see that smile again?

How long would it be before Gokudera smiled again?

"Of course!" Gokudera said. His actions were less openly enthusiastic than before, but Tsuna could tell the enthusiasm still lay behind the mature mask Gokudera wore. "With the Tenth, of course it's bound to go well. We just have to make sure Byakuran doesn't pull any tricks, and we'll all be home safe before we know it."

…_all be home safe…_

Tsuna could barely breathe. Any second, he thought tears would come falling out of his eyes. He was glad it was dark; he didn't want to make Gokudera worry.

"Yeah," Tsuna said. "Hey, Gokudera-kun…"

Wiping the scowl off his face, Gokudera looked at Tsuna. "Tenth?"

Laughing, Tsuna smiled and suddenly hugged Gokudera tightly. "I just wanted to say… thank you for everything."

"H-huh?" Gokudera was at a loss for words. His hands hovered inches away from Tsuna's body as he wondered whether hugging his boss back would be considered rude.

"For fighting for me, protecting me… and above all being my friend. Gokudera-kun, I just want you to know that no matter what happens… I'm grateful to be your friend."

"T-Tenth, I'm not worthy of such praise…!"

Grinning, Tsuna broke the embrace and ushered Gokudera from the room. "You should get to bed. We can't be tired tomorrow!"

He closed the door behind him and waved goodbye to Gokudera, saying, "I'm going to go make the last round and check up on everyone. Goodnight!"

His heart ached when he saw Gokudera smile again – _that would be the last smile he ever saw on Gokudera's face _– and watched Gokudera's back as he headed down the hallway.

_Goodbye, Gokudera-kun._

As he tip-toed through the halls, Tsuna could feel his eyes burn. For the last time, he was strolling down the polished wood hallways down to the rooms of his beloved guardians. For the last time, he was saying goodnight. For the last time…

He shook his head. Now was not the time to be weak-hearted. Already, Irie had set everything up and messed with the ten-year bazooka; already, the plan had been set into action.

No matter what, this had to be done. But…

It hurt.

"Oh? Sawada Tsunayoshi, what are you doing in my part of the mansion?" an airy voice asked. Tsuna leaped around as he felt hot breath sweep past his ear.

"M-Mukuro!" Tsuna stuttered, rubbing his ear. That man, he grumbled inwardly, always had to do things creepily. "I was just looking for you."

"Really?" Mukuro chuckled. He unlocked the door to his room and invited Tsuna in.

Mukuro's room was pretty simple; a desk, chair, bed, and dresser on one side; a few trinkets scattered around. Nothing too elaborate or flashy. Mukuro walked across his room and swung open the windows to his balcony. Tsuna stepped after him, skirting around a nasty looking blob on the floor.

"What is it that you want from me, Sawada Tsunayoshi?" Mukuro said presently. He leaned his elbows on the balcony railing and his chin in his hands, head raised towards the stars.

"I actually don't know," Tsuna lied. He joined Mukuro, resting his arms on the railing. He let his eyes trail across the starry sky, soaking it all in – this would be the last time.

Mukuro chuckled, tilting his head to look at Tsuna. "You've grown up a lot, Vongola."

"Huh?"

"Before, you would always shriek and edge away from me," Mukuro said, smirking when Tsuna turned red from embarrassment. "But now, you're like a whole different man." His eyes traveled back up to the dark sky, reflecting those tiny pinpricks of light that were scattered across the vast expanse like salt spilled on paper. "Confident, charismatic – but still much too naïve."

Tsuna laughed and they stood in silence like that for a while, staring at the stars as the wind rustled through their hair.

"Chrome's always liked the stars," Tsuna said presently. "She told me that story about Maki."

"Did she? The one about the wishes, you mean."

Tsuna nodded. "What do you think she would wish for?"

He watched as Mukuro mulled the question over in his head. Closing his eyes and smiling, Mukuro finally answered, "Probably something weak, like our good health and well-being."

"And if I died tomorrow?"

Mukuro's eyes snapped open and he looked sharply at Tsuna who jerked back and laughed awkwardly. "I mean, just hypothetically. Say that tomorrow at the Millefiore, I die… what do you think Chrome would wish for?"

Luckily for Tsuna, Mukuro didn't think too deeply about his words; he seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. Again, Mukuro chuckled that laugh of his that, in the past, would always send chills down Tsuna's spine. Tsuna listened carefully, wanting to relish every moment he spent alive in the presence of his beloved guardians –

Because now he knew that there simply wasn't enough time to do anything like that anymore.

"That girl," Mukuro sighed, gazing back up at the stars, "she really thinks of you as something special. If you died," he mused, tilting his head, "she would probably wish to hear your voice one last time. She's such a child…"

"Would you do that for her?" Tsuna said abruptly.

"Oh? What's this, Tsunayoshi?"

"Just – I mean, well, would you? I mean, we both know that the stars can't really grant wishes… but through illusions, would you do that for her?"

Mukuro considered Tsuna's earnest face for a while before straightening up. He cast one last look at the stars before turning around and returning to his room. But, as Mukuro passed through the windows of the balcony, Tsuna swore that the wind carried Mukuro's response to his ears in an echoing whisper:

"But of course."

Smiling, Tsuna followed after Mukuro, unsurprised that he couldn't feel the man's presence in the room. Counting on Mukuro to keep his word, he shut the door behind him and headed further down along the hallway.

_Goodbye, Mukuro, Chrome._

The light to one of the rooms streamed out into the hall, signaling that its occupant was still awake – and doing what?

Playing videogames.

"Lambo," Tsuna called out, knocking on the doorframe.

Lambo jolted and the game controller in his hands clattered to the floor. "A-ah, Tsunayoshi-san. What is it?"

"Just wanted to say goodnight," Tsuna said, chuckling. He strolled into Lambo's room and squatted down beside the twelve-year-old boy. "Say, Lambo… what do you want for your birthday?"

"An elephant," Lambo said immediately. "Or a private jet. Something really cool like that."

"Really? An elephant or a private jet? Not even to see Mom or Dino or be with everyone?"

Shrugging, Lambo picked the game control back up and fiddled with it. "Not really. I mean, you guys are here all the time, right?"

Tsuna smiled and picked up the other game controller that was lying by Lambo. "I guess you're right…"

_But what if I told you I wouldn't be here for your thirteenth birthday?_

"T-Tsuna? Are you – are you crying?"

Tsuna realized that tears were gathering in his eyes and he blinked rapidly, making a great show of pulling down his eyes and rubbing them as Lambo stared uncomfortably. "Sorry! Something flew into my eyes." He ruffled Lambo's hair and gave him a great big hug. His chest constricted – _the last hug he'd give him._ "Don't go to bed too late, Lambo. Remember, we have the meeting at Millefiore."

Smiling, he got back to his feet and waved goodnight to Lambo as the boy returned to his videogame.

_Happy birthday, Lambo._

Next was Ryohei who was in the middle of his nightly workout. Tsuna could hear the shouts of, "EXTREME! EXTREME!" all the way down the hallway. He peeked into Ryohei's room, smiling when he saw the man throwing punches in front of his television set.

"Onii-san, goodnight!"

"IT'S EARLY TO THE EXTREME, SAWADA!" Ryohei roared, pulling Tsuna into his room. "COME! You should do these extreme exercises with me! Lussuria sent them." Ryohei struggled to open the DVD player for a few moments before bellowing in frustration and throwing the thing out the window.

"EXTREME! I can do this by myself to the extreme!"

Tsuna hastily snuck out of the room while Ryohei remained occupied, grinning to himself – smiling, but at the same time crying…

_Goodbye, Onii-san._

And lastly…

"Hibari-san," Tsuna said softly, sliding open the door. "Are the preparations ready?"

His eyes looked downfallen. The air was uninviting, even more so than usual. Hibari was sitting at his small table with his back to the door, calmly sipping his tea as its aroma mixed in with the air.

"Leave, herbivore," Hibari said coldly. "I have no more business with you after tomorrow."

While not being able to be present for Lambo's first birthday of his teenage years was painful, this was painful in a whole different way. Forcing one of his own guardians to kill him…

What kind of horrible person was he?

Tsuna shook his head, fighting down his tears. He seemed more prone to crying today than he had ever been in his life. He laughed at himself.

"I just wanted to say thank you," Tsuna said quietly. When no answer met his ears, he swallowed a tired sigh and slid the door closed.

_It hurts…_

With heavy steps, he made his way back to his own room, staring blankly at his feet.

_I'm sorry, Hibari-san._

There was one more light on in the Vongola mansion, but Tsuna didn't know if he dared to set foot into that room. He stopped, breath catching in his throat as he peered timidly into the room.

Yamamoto was lying in the bed, arms behind his head, staring straight up at the ceiling.

"_If your dad had died while you were out, and you came home and found him d__ead on the floor with bullets in his head–"_

Tsuna didn't know how long he stood at the doorway with those memories rushing in.

"– _and if you knew that if you had stayed with him, like you should've, he'd be alive – wouldn't you act like me?"_

Yamamoto never once looked in his direction during the time Tsuna stood rooted to the spot. He didn't know whether Yamamoto knew that he was standing there or not, but –

"_You don't understand."_

It hurt.

"_Go away."_

He tore his feet from the wooden boards and went back to his room without a word. Wiping his eyes, he opened his drawer and made sure the letters he had written the night before were all in place.

In each of them, he had written the things he would never be able to say – an apology to Yamamoto, a _happy birthday_ to Lambo, and a clue for Mukuro. In Gokudera's letter, he had left a secret message he knew would be found sooner or later. He had messed up a little, forgetting an 'a' in 'guardians,' but that hardly mattered… Tsuna had told Hibari about the message and was sure that the man would find a way to fix it…

Hibari… Tsuna almost cried when he thought about what he was making Hibari do. He found himself holding his breath and pressing his shaking hand against his mouth as the tears threatened to fall again – but since no one was there, he really let them fall this time, wiping them away with his sleeves.

"I'm sorry… everyone… Mom and Dad, too…"

_I'm so sorry…_

What if it all went wrong? What if, after he 'died,' the rest of his family was also killed? Reborn was already dead – and he had died so quickly at that. There was no telling what might happen after Tsuna's 'death.' If he had overestimated the abilities of his past self… then he would have just caused pain all for nothing. He would wake up one day and find it all to be gone – and all for nothing –

_Ring – ring – ring _

Hastily, he cleared his throat and answered the incoming call on his cell phone. "Hello?"

"_Tsunayoshi-kun – I managed to get away from my subordinates for a quick second – I said I was constipated – god, that was embarrassing."_

Tsuna found his throat too choked up to even fake a laugh, and he only nodded though he knew Irie wouldn't be able to see him. But Irie seemed to understand.

"…_Are you ready? It's tomorrow."_

No, he wanted to scream. No, he was not ready. He didn't want to make Hibari a 'murderer;' he didn't want to destroy Gokudera's happiness. He didn't want to hurt them – his family –

As if he had read Tsuna's mind, Irie said:

"_Your family is stronger than you think it is, Tsunayoshi-kun. Have faith in them. Your younger self, too – it's going to work out. Just believe –"_

"But there's nothing to believe in," Tsuna whispered. "I'm leaving them all behind. What if it goes wrong and when I wake up –"

…_I'm all alone?_

Irie was silent for a moment.

"_Tsunayoshi-kun… Now is not the time to be fragile-hearted. It is now or never… the chance won't come again. Don't be afraid. We both agreed that this is the best way."_

"I know," Tsuna said, taking a deep breath. "I know. Don't worry, Irie-kun, I won't back out…

"See you later… I hope."

"_We'll see each other later, for sure. Goodnight."_

* * *

He was on his hands and knees, surrounded by unmoving bodies. He could feel blood sliding down his skin as his ragged breath rang in his ears. The mist swirled around him, dancing to the tune of death, forming bony hands that reached out to him as if beckoning him to come.

Presently, he came to notice that someone was standing behind him.

"Hibari, is that you?"

Ah…

It looked like his time had come.

"Are the others alright?"

Of course, there was no answer.

Time seemed to stop for him in that moment.

Tsuna felt oddly calm.

He closed his eyes.

Slowly, he turned.

One by one, each with a deafening blast, the bullets left the gun.

Fog fell like a curtain around Tsuna, as quickly as his body fell. He had no time to take a last look at his guardian; he was not sure he wanted to. Instead, as numbness swept slowly across his entire body and as his eyelids slowly shut, he contented himself with the memories of laughter and smiles…

He was putting his last hopes on the edge of a cliff. He was risking that laughter and those smiles all in one go…

But now… now was not the time to worry about these things.

Because Sawada Tsunayoshi had slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

_I hope that wasn't too bad ^_^" The story's finally about to come to a close. Hope to see you one last, final time, everyone!_

_Thank you._


	11. Finale

There was no sound save for a gentle _drip, drip, drip_ as if someone hadn't closed the faucet all the way. The culprit, Tsuna knew, would most likely be Lambo; the boy was always leaving the refrigerator door open and the showerhead leaking. Except… that's right. Lambo wasn't here anymore. Or, more correctly, Tsuna wasn't where Lambo was anymore.

Tsuna knew that he was not yet awake, for when he opened his eyes, there was only light as far as he could see. No colors presented themselves to his eyes; or rather, maybe it would be better said that all colors were shining down on him, combining to make the white light that embraced him softly.

He felt rather odd just standing in the middle of whiteness, so he tried sitting down. To his surprise, found that the white had formed a nice ledge for him so that he could rest his legs. He contented himself with the feeling of being conscious but not really quite alive, listening to the _drip, drip, drip_ until a different sound brushed aside the peace.

"Have you enjoyed your sleep?"

"It was certainly refreshing," Tsuna answered without skipping a beat, allowing a soft chuckle to escape his lips. "How long has it been?"

"Time doesn't matter, not here."

A shadow suddenly broke the white light, resembling a leg that had just popped through a door. Tsuna smiled and held his hands out.

"So it's been a while, Tsuna."

"It has been, hasn't it?"

And Reborn stepped through the door of white in the sea of white to join Tsuna where he sat. They remained in that state for a while, looking at the bands of yellow rippling through the white void, shoulders barely brushing. Like a dream, Reborn didn't seem tangible, so Tsuna hardly dared touch him for fear that if he did, Reborn would vanish like a candle's flame.

Tsuna waited before he spoke, wanting to be ready to talk. And more than anything, he wanted to wait until Reborn was ready to converse. He had a feeling that Reborn himself was quite, quite tired, as if he'd just returned from a long trip that had lasted his entire life.

"So it's finally over."

"Yes. You did well. Or, should I say, your past self did well. Very well."

"It feels weird to hear you praising me like that."

"Then just think of it as me talking about another person."

"That's still weird."

"Was I so terrible a person?"

"Yes."

They laughed together and then relapsed into silence again.

"So I'll take it that the plan succeeded?"

Reborn shrugged. "I wouldn't be here otherwise. You wouldn't be here, either."

"Right. And… everyone else? Where are they now?"

"Waiting."

"For?"

Reborn sighed and pulled his fedora low over his face. He jumped off the sedge and onto nothing, turning to Tsuna as if waiting for him to follow suit. Tsuna joined Reborn, and together, they began to stroll down the white sea.

"For your decision."

"I always hate making those," Tsuna said airily. "I always feel like I might be making the wrong one."

"I know. But in this particular case, I don't think you can make the wrong decision."

"Oh?"

Reborn shrugged again and slipped his hands into his pockets. "There's no right or wrong decision for anybody. It's just something you'll decide—if you pick one option, it will be so, and no one will know that you ever made the choice, not even yourself, not even me."

Tsuna stopped. Reborn didn't wait until Tsuna called out to him.

"What about the alternative?"

"You and I will know, but no one else will, lest you determine it to be better to inform them."

Confused, Tsuna blinked. As he thought about what Reborn had just told him, a hole opened up underneath him, like transparent glass, revealing a bird's-eye view of what seemed to be a bustling city.

"What's that?"

"A glimpse of the present. Or the past. Or the future. Here, it's impossible to tell which of the three it is."

"Where is this? Er—_what_ is this place?"

"There's no name for it, really," Reborn said. His dark eyes were turned away from Tsuna—Tsuna realized that not once had Reborn looked at him. He wondered why—but supposed that Reborn had his reasons.

"You can call it the End of Time, or the Beginning of Time, or the Middle of Time, or anything you please really, because after you leave, it will become Nothing again."

"That's… rather lonely, isn't it?"

"I suppose. Regardless, you can just consider this place to be a loophole in Time itself. Now that we are here, we can waste an eternity away or even talk for a negative amount of hours. It's a special place. Very lonely. It likes to keep people here because it hardly ever gets any visitors."

"You speak as if it's a living entity."

"You speak to me as if I'm alive."

Tsuna blinked. "You're not?"

Reborn shrugged. "Not here. And maybe not even anywhere. It's up to you, really."

Reborn turned away and began to walk. Tsuna's eyebrows knitted together in consternation.

"What do you mean it's up to me?"

"I'm saying that that's part of the choice you'll have to make."

"What kind of choice is that?"

Reborn stopped and faced Tsuna. But even now, his gaze was not meeting Tsuna's, rather a point just below his eyes. Frustrated, Tsuna wanted to reach out and grab Reborn's shoulders, but again that fear—that fear that Reborn would fade if touched—froze him in his tracks.

"Think about it Tsuna. Think about what you've done. What we—the Arcobaleno—have done for you and your generation. We've changed the past. We've rewritten history. And now, you and I both are in this bubble outside the flow of time, waiting on you. And waiting for what, I can see you want to ask. Waiting for you to choose."

Reborn held out a hand and just in front of it opened another hole in the whiteness, revealing a building Tsuna knew very well.

"Namimori Middle School, the birthplace of your new life. From here you grew into an admirable mafia boss, inherited the Vongola, clashed with Byakuran and presumably died. That is your past, your present, and your future. We will call this timeline A."

With a whisk of Reborn's hand, the scenery transformed into a forest surrounding a black coffin that looked quite out of place. Reborn waved it to the side, and it floated a small distance away and then hovered there.

"Now this is Namimori Middle School as well," Reborn continued, snapping his fingers. "We'll call this timeline B. Now, in timeline B, you traveled to the future, fought and defeated Byakuran, returned to the present, and are continuing life as such. What happens in this future, I do not know, because it is still yet to be determined. This timeline can never be touched again; we Arcobaleno have made sure of that. In other words, this timeline is locked and cannot be altered further."

Timeline B flew to join timeline A. Timeline C, a blank patch of black, appeared between Tsuna and Reborn.

"This is timeline C. This is your blank slate. What should be here is a time without Byakuran's uprising, without the Mare Rings, without the war or deaths caused by that war. In sum, it can be said that this is a place where you will have gone from Namimori Middle straight to being an admirable boss of the Vongola without any mishaps. Here, you should not remember Byakuran; Yamamoto's father will be alive; your Family will be whole."

"Stop," Tsuna said. "Stop. I understand where this is going. This is the choice you wanted me to make, is it? Between timeline A and timeline C. You're saying that I can either live with the destruction Byakuran caused or erase every single memory of those events and bring everyone back again."

"Correct."

"And I'm guessing that timeline C is the one you were referring to when you said that no one would know that I chose it. Because if I choose timeline C, the circumstances that would have brought about that decision would never have occurred, right?"

"Correct."

"But why only this timeline? Why not the others?"

"Because this timeline was the exception. This is the timeline you used to change everything else about the past. I believe it was Shouichi himself who said it. Byakuran had taken over every other timeline except for this one. So, this was the one you chose to change future. Time has its own rules. Once you break them, you have to compensate for time paradoxes. And compensation, in this case, is either living with the consequences, or forgetting that everything ever happened. This place is the outlier; it is the aberration.

"We tried to conform this timeline to the rest. We tried to make it so that this timeline followed the new one created in the past. But no matter how we tried, it didn't work. We came back, and all the destruction was still there; the time machine was still there, the rubble, the buildings—nothing had changed. We visited other timelines, and all of those were as they should have been without Byakuran's rise to power. It was just this one. Just you. Just us."

Tsuna closed his eyes. To be accosted with such a decision so soon after he woke (was he really awake?) was nearly overwhelming.

"So… forgetting everything means…"

"Forgetting everything. Time will continue from the point before Byakuran came into existence—in other words, Byakuran will never have been born."

"What?"

"It is as I have said. Byakuran in timeline A will never be born."

"And I won't remember anything about what happened to me in this timeline?"

"None of it."

"Everyone will be alive, still, right?"

"Yes."

"Yamamoto's dad…"

"Will still be alive, yes."

"And you…"

Reborn turned away so that he was no longer looking at Tsuna. "I won't, most likely."

"What?"

He shrugged. "No big deal. I never expected to die a decent death anyways."

"What are you saying?"

"It's my curse, Tsuna, the curse put on all Arcobaleno. In the newest timeline, timeline B, you managed to defeat Checker-Face. Without Byakuran, you would never have gotten the opportunity to lift the curse on me. Or maybe the opportunity came too late. So, eradicating Byakuran's existence will simply mean… well. You understand."

_Don't foist this choice on me._

"I… I can't choose."

"You must."

"I… can't do that to you."

Reborn shrugged. "You won't remember doing it to me. Because in timeline C, this entire conversation will never have happened. It's alright, Tsuna."

Tsuna clenched his eyes shut. If there was anything he had learned over the last years of being the Tenth boss of the Vongola, it was that _choices_ were imperative. There was no skittering around the edges; no beating about the bush; no evading. You had to be strong; you had to believe in yourself.

But with choices like these… Tsuna couldn't help but waver.

"This isn't right," he breathed. "The reason why I put myself from ten years ago through all of this was so that I wouldn't _have_ to choose people's lives or deaths. I intended to save them all unconditionally as best as I could. I'm tired, Reborn," Tsuna said. He winced; he hadn't meant that note of helplessness seep into his voice. "I'm tired."

"Funny to hear that from a man who's been in a deep sleep for nearly three years," Reborn chuckled. "Come now. Well, I can't tell you to hurry up, because here, time doesn't matter. But all the same, you know how much I hate being kept waiting."

Tsuna tried to laugh, but couldn't.

"You look… very tired, Reborn."

The man laughed and waved a hand in the air. "It's not as if locking away timelines is easy, you know. We Arcobaleno really worked up a sweat. It's not easy, being cursed."

"About that curse," Tsuna said. "What happens to you in our timeline—timeline C. You said that if I chose timeline A, you and the other Arcobaleno would die, but what about timeline C?"

"You might have a chance."

"How? We don't even have the Vongola Rings here."

"I'm just kidding. You don't have a snowball's chance to save us in this timeline, either."

"What?"

"I'm pulling your leg again."

"Reborn!"

"Sorry, sorry." Reborn smirked. "I'd say you have half a chance of saving us in timeline C. You'll have to seek out certain people and play different games, and it'll take a lot of work. And you still have the pieces of the rings, don't you?"

"I… meant to throw them away, but I couldn't. Not after all we've been through, so I kept them."

"Excellent. Then perhaps you have three-quarters of a chance of saving us."

"…so it all boils down to who I'd rather save, right?"

"Indeed."

"The Arcobaleno, or the lives of everyone else… Is there really zero chance of saving you in timeline A?"

"There is absolutely zero chance. You won't have grown enough, and you won't have nearly enough information to do it. But, you'll have us for a while, at least."

Conflicted, Tsuna bit his lip, closed his eyes.

"Can you… give me a moment?"

"Of course."

There was a sound like fluttering wings, and then Tsuna could no longer feel Reborn's presence beside him. He sat down, feeling very un-boss-like as he put his head in his hands and sighed.

He thought, and he thought. And he thought some more. Memories of Yamamoto's dad flashed through his mind. All the times he'd give them sushi on the house, or the times when he'd come upstairs in the middle of a busy night into Yamamoto's room to serve them a sushi snack, or how he pretended to mind when Yamamoto broke a window (or two). How Yamamoto would always call out to his father with a _hey pops!_ and a grin; how his father was the only blood family he had because his mother had died long, long ago. How Yamamoto hadn't cried at his father's death, only grew cold and grim and red-eyed.

He thought about the trauma they would all carry throughout the rest of their lives. War wasn't pretty, especially for the younger ones. Lambo, Lambo… did Tsuna really want to let Lambo remember all these horrible things? The shock he must have felt when he saw Tsuna's 'dead' body; the battles he must have fought though he was only just fifteen. Tsuna remembered the nightmares he'd had after the Ring Battles, and those weren't half as bad as the ones fought with Byakuran.

He could erase all of these things and more. He could erase Tsuyoshi's death, Lambo's memories, Gokudera's guilt. He could set it right. They could all live a normal life—as normal as mafia could get—without pain and fear and war…

He would only lose Reborn…

Tsuna stood.

"Reborn, I'm ready," he called out. "I've made my decision."

He turned his head. Reborn was there.

"You're ready?"

Tsuna closed his eyes and nodded.

He heard Reborn step quietly towards him and shut his eyes tightly.

_Reborn, I'm so sorry…_

"You know that regardless of whatever choice you make… I'm proud of you," Reborn said quietly. Tsuna felt something ruffle his hair. He could have cried. But he had to be strong. That was the duty of the boss of Vongola.

"You've done well, Tsuna. I couldn't have asked more from you. Watching you grow from then till now has been a pleasure, and I thank you for that."

Why did this sound so much like a goodbye speech?

"I'm sorry you had to choose, but you deserve to determine all of our fates for fighting so hard. Just tell me what to do, Tsuna, and I'll make it happen. It'll be alright, whatever future you decide upon."

Tsuna opened his eyes, but it was pitch-black all around him. He reached out until he felt Reborn's hand. Squeezing his eyes shut, he gripped Reborn's hand tightly and opened his mouth.

"My decision is—"

* * *

He was strolling in a forest. Overhead, birds flitted from branch to branch and squirrels nibbled on acorns and pinecones. There was nothing but wilderness all around; untouched, beautiful wilderness. He walked aimlessly like that for a while, feeling at peace and calm with a serene smile on his face.

Having reached his destination he stopped. He turned to look the way he'd come. He could see his faint trail in the vast wild; small footsteps that had broken twigs and crushed leaves and plants. His feet shifted and now he was looking ahead of him. In his sight, there was nothing but unexplored, untouched forest.

A noise perked his ear. It sounded like a distant elephant crashing through the woods. Voices reached his ears, too far to be discerned, but close enough to alert him to one fact:

They were coming.

They were coming to find him. Such a fun game of hide and seek. He figured he'd been hiding for long enough.

"Tsuna! Tsuna!"

Tsuna turned in time to see what looked like a cow barreling towards him before he was knocked off his feet. With a loud_ oomph!_ he landed on his back, laughing wildly as a wet face buried into his neck and a deafening wail pounded his ears.

"Hey, Lambo. It's been a while hasn't it?"

His only response was a loud sob and a bone-crushing hug.

But even the vice around his ribs couldn't stop his heart from bursting out of his chest.

Yes, his family was here. He was looking at them now after a three-year absence. They were haggard and tired and some looked heartbroken, but they were his family.

A broken family, but a family.

Tsuna had forsaken the opportunities of timeline C for the hardships of timeline A. Yes, the painlessness of timeline C was tantalizing. But how could he throw away the memories that made him who he was today? How could he throw away the events that made his family what it was today? Though it had been a bitter journey, they had stuck together through thick and thin, and he couldn't throw that away. He couldn't eradicate their accomplishments, their failures, their love, and their hate. Because erasing those indicated that they meant absolutely nothing. That everything that had made his family grow was worthless. And that wasn't true at all.

There was importance in every little thing that had happened in their lives, no matter how excruciating it was. Part of moving forward was embracing the past. Part of growing up was accepting the consequences generated by your past self. Part of the meaning of life was struggling through the difficulties in order to come out alright, albeit a little tattered around the edges.

Tsuna hoped they would forgive him for choosing to keep their suffering. Tsuna hoped they wouldn't hate him for not bringing back the ones they lost.

He struggled up to a sitting position and unglued Lambo's face from his shoulder.

"Tsuna… Tsuna, I thought you would never come back… I thought you were… I'm so sorry I didn't hang out with you more… I'm sorry I just asked for an airplane or whatever it was when you asked me what I wanted for my birthday… You know, my birthday's coming up soon, right? I don't need anything this year. I just… I'm just… I don't need anything so long as all of you are here… so please, don't leave again…"

Oh, god, what had Tsuna done to Lambo? Pain filled his heart as he hugged the fifteen-year-old boy tightly.

"It's okay, Lambo. I won't leave."

_I made the right choice, didn't I?_

As soon as Lambo gathered himself together and was out of Tsuna's arms, hot white pain popped in Tsuna's face. He stumbled back, horribly confused.

"You—crazy—son of a bitch!"

"Gokudera—hey, Gokudera, calm down!"

"No!" Gokudera seethed. "Don't tell me to calm down, you stupid baseball-freak!"

Tsuna got to his feet. This wasn't the reception he was expecting from Gokudera at all.

"You… suddenly disappeared, just leaving those letters in your wake as if they were supposed to console us or something! You never told us anything, just threw us into chaos and hell, hoping that we would flounder our way out of it… You could have given us a sign, something… some hope…"

Tsuna closed his eyes, but he didn't say a word. Tsuna had been blind to think that the reunion would be all happy sunshine and rainbows. In his ecstasy, he'd forgotten about the scars he had caused himself… he'd forgotten what it meant to be left behind.

"After all these years… all these goddamn years we spent together, you didn't tell me anything!" Gokudera seethed. "You didn't share your plans with anyone except for Hibari, and even then, you kept some truths from him until the very end. Do you know… how I felt when I found out? It was as if you didn't trust me enough to tell me your intentions!

"And yet I… like a fool, I clung to your words. I held onto them with my life because it was a sign that you still trusted me. I grasped everything you left me…

"You left us behind… without a single word… I was lost for a while… for a long time… I thought you were dead for the longest time; I believed it to be my fault that you were dead… I suffered so much, and a single word from you could have stopped my agony! But you said nothing!" Gokudera clenched his fists. "You said nothing…"

Breathing hard, Gokudera cleared his throat and straightened up. Finally, Tsuna dared to look into his eyes. He was shaken; the smoldering emotions in Gokudera's smoky green eyes nearly burned him with their intensity. Like a storm, they swirled, but under the surface. So many emotions, but something was strange—not one of them signaled a feeling of betrayal or distrust…

"But that in and of itself was a sign that you trusted me. Even though you told me nothing, you believed that I would continue on loyally and never give up on you. And you were right. I never did give up on you. I believed in you enough to entrust my life to your plans, though I didn't know what they entailed. I realize that it was necessary that only a very select few know the plan. So, Tenth, I just… I just want to say now…"

Gokudera grabbed Tsuna and pulled him into a tight embrace.

"Welcome home."

There was an explosion of noise. Ryohei was punching him now, roaring something about 24/7 boxing matches and training videos now that he was back; Mukuro chuckled at him and Chrome gave him a soft nod; Hibari gave him a scathing glance that told him clearly _you conniving herbivore_; Yamamoto pulled the willing ones into a great group hug with an infectious laughter that spread through their bodies.

As the exhilaration wore off, Tsuna steeled himself to tell them what happened to him during his slumber. He called for their attention and took a deep breath and relayed to them the decision he had made. When he was done, nobody said anything for a long time. His heart sank. Did they hate him now for what he did? Yamamoto in particular was looking troubled. Tsuna opened his mouth, ready to apologize, but Yamamoto gave a shrug and grinned.

"Why do you look so worried, Tsuna?" he said.

Tsuna gulped down his apology and stuttered out, "a-aren't you angry? I could have brought back your dad, Yamamoto."

The grin slid off Yamamoto's face, replaced by a more melancholy undertone, but he shrugged again. "You could have, right? I do miss him a lot, but… Pops, I think, would have wanted this. He went down fighting, after all, which is way more exciting than dying of old age, don't you think?"

"But—"

"And besides, you were right in thinking that the past shouldn't be thrown away. What's happened has happened, right? And even if you did change our timeline so that we wouldn't have had to experience any of this… no one would remember you doing it. No one would remember the people you saved and such… and I know that you don't save people to be remembered, but..." Yamamoto gave a grin. "Like you said, everything that's ever happened is just a part of us, right?

"And so… well… I actually don't know how to explain this, but… it's like…" Yamamoto gestured helplessly with his hands. "It's like getting hit with a baseball in the head. It hurts some, but in the end, you're mostly, okay, right? It might leave a mark but…" Yamamoto fingered the scar on his chin. "…But you're okay." He turned to Tsuna and smiled at him. "And I think I'm okay."

"Yeah, Tsuna, I'm okay, too!" Lambo said indignantly. "It's not like I'm a kid anymore! I've grown up. I can handle what's happened. All the scary crap that's happened to me is nothing now that we're all…" Lambo coughed and turned red. "Now that we're all back together again."

Gokudera scoffed, muttering something about how that was so cheesy, and Lambo turned purple in embarrassment, but Gokudera had the faintest of smiles on his face.

"That's right, Sawada," Ryohei said, clapping Tsuna on the back a little too hard. "I think you made the right decision. Just… never do something so extreme that you have to make another choice like that again, agreed? I really _will_ make you do extreme boxing with me 24/7 if it happens."

Tsuna laughed, and it felt good. The sounds from his mouth were bubbly and free, like a great burden had been lifted off his chest. It was good. He hadn't screwed up again. He'd been right to choose timeline A over timeline C.

"It's okay, right? Timeline A."

"Of course."

"We'll have to work hard to make this world whole again. It's going to take a long time."

"What's life without a little lemons, huh, Tsuna?" Yamamoto said, nudging his shoulder. "C'mon, quit worrying. There's been enough worrying to fill an entire lifetime."

"Yeah…" Tsuna said, smiling. "You're right."

"Celebration time, come on!" Yamamoto cheered. "Where are we gonna go? Maybe we can have a barbecue or something, or drop by old man Kawahira's shop…"

As the rest of them began to excitedly make plans, Tsuna stepped back to talk with those lurking in the corners.

"I'm glad you're okay, boss," Chrome said as he approached. "It's nice to see you again."

"I'm glad I'm back," Tsuna said. "I really am. And it's good to see you, too. Both of you."

Mukuro chuckled. "It's been a wild ride, Sawada Tsunayoshi. And now that this game is over… I do believe it's time I start the fight for your body again, isn't it?"

Tsuna chuckled, remembering his letter to Mukuro. "Indeed it is."

Mukuro rested his mismatched eyes on Tsuna for a while, a smile growing on his face. But, before the curve to his lips became too noticeable, he turned and raised a hand in salute.

"I'll be seeing you, Sawada Tsunayoshi."

With a flick of a hand, he and Chrome both vanished into mist.

Tsuna's heart lifted even higher; so glad was he to see all of his family again. He turned to Hibari and held out a hand.

"I think I owe you a thank you."

Hibari snorted. "It was… fun."

Tsuna read the hesitation in Hibari's voice and knew that he had been right in guessing Hibari's emotions when he killed Tsuna.

"I owe you a big thank you."

"Keep your thanks to yourself," Hibari said. A sly smile flickered across his face, lighting up his steely grey eyes. "I'm glad you're back."

Stunned, Tsuna let his jaw drop a little.

Hibari smirked widely and turned away. "It means I can have endless amounts of fun beating you to the point of death."

Tsuna broke out laughing. "Of course."

Realizing his hand was still held up for a handshake, Tsuna hastily began to drop it. It wasn't as if he were truly expecting Hibari to accept his extended hand, but… it would have been nice.

Pain pricked his hand as he closed it. Tsuna looked down. His heart leaped, and even more warmth flooded his body as happiness filled him to the brim. Hibari's hedgehog chirped in his hand, its spines pricking the skin, stinging, but not bleeding. Tsuna looked up, but Hibari was gone. When he turned his gaze back down to his hand, the hedgehog had disappeared. Tsuna smiled. He guessed that was Hibari's way of saying _welcome home._

Finished, Tsuna bounded to catch up with the rest, who were hollering at him to get moving already. Yamamoto, Gokudera, Ryohei, and Lambo—his closest friends since middle school. It felt so good to be back with them again. So refreshing, warm, and happy. Tsuna would never exchange that feeling with anything in the world. This feeling made turning timeline C down worth the pain.

"Feels like middle school again, doesn't it?" Yamamoto almost sang. "You, me, Gokudera, and Ryohei going home and Lambo tagging along as usual. And we know that Hibari's lurking around somewhere nearby because he always is looking for trouble and fights. And Mukuro and Chrome are out there scheming something or another, but it's okay, because you know that they're on your side. And it's sunny and the sky is blue, and the world is great because we're coming home after a long day."

"You're not making any sense, you know that baseball idiot?"

"It's only because you're too stupid to understand, octopus-head!"

"What did you say, turf-head—"

"Ah, Tsuna, I'm hungry!"

Tsuna felt so happy that he could cry, and he discovered that he really _was_ crying when Yamamoto pointed it out in surprise, and when Gokudera hastily began wiping Tsuna's tears for him with a dirty handkerchief, and when Ryohei began sobbing with his fists held up to the sky, and when Lambo began crying yet again, and when even Gokudera covered his eyes with an arm and blew his nose loudly, and when Yamamoto, the eternally effervescent baseball-idiot, began tearing up as well. It felt good to cry in happiness for once, and even better to share happy tears with old friends, and it felt the best to do all those things while laughing in the warm wind and walking under the sun hanging in the bright blue sky all the way home.

"Well, what on earth are you guys doing," a drawling voice said in a tone that badly concealed delight. "Having a sobbing festival?"

An infant twirled his fedora on a finger before swinging it back on his head. "Having an idiots-only celebration, it seems."

"Oh, be nice, Spanner, Reborn. Sorry for the mess," Irie said hastily, knocking the wrench from Spanner's hand. "We were trying to clean up a bit before you all came, but…"

"Kind of failed," Spanner finished. He held up a bag and shook it lightly. "Lollipop?"

"Oh, and," Irie said clapping his hands as they all took one from the bag. "I almost forgot!"

"That's right, we can't forget," Reborn said, leaping from his perch on Irie's head and onto Tsuna's.

"_Welcome home!"_

* * *

_I would like to say first off, thank you for sticking with this story over the many, many years it has been running. I have been very irresponsible with this, and cannot thank you enough for the support and kindness I have received. This chapter marks the close of Days of Mourning. It has been a great experience for me, and I hope for you, too, and I hope this ending was satisfactory._

_I never really gave up on this story. I have about five files on my computer labeled something along the lines of 'final chapter' for Days of Morning that I compiled over the years. It just goes to show how much your reviews motivate me (and make me feel guilty, hehehe)._

_/edit: to the reviewer who pointed out that I got timelines A and C all mixed up, thank you! How embarrassing, haha, the author getting confused ;u; I tried to fix most of it, but sheesh, was it confusing._

_Thank you again for your support and kindness. _

_Love and luck from your grateful author,_

_hokkyokukou_


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